DESPITE grumbling from some private bus and taxi operators over a possible loss of income with the Government’s plan to introduce a dedicated rural school bus service come September, Transport Minister Daryl Vaz is adamant that the system will be implemented.

“This Government will have put 270 new buses in the JUTC (Jamaica Urban Transit Company) to serve the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region at a value of US$45 million to US$50 million so it is only fair and equitable that the Government invests in rural Jamaica so the students, who are the country’s future leaders, get 500 to 600 school buses in the next two years for a proper school bus transportation system,” Vaz told the Jamaica Observer.

“That will be my most meaningful contribution to nation building in my 13 years as a minister. It will be my legacy for which I will be proud and the process has started with the first 100 arriving this year,” added Vaz.

He insisted there is no plan to push out private individuals who offer public passenger transportation in rural Jamaica and, at least initially, they will play a key role in moving the students from the districts to the main routes on which the buses operate.

“We are not competing against the private operators but this Government, and this minister, have a responsibility to protect the students and we know that because their fares are less than the adults, what they have to do to get to school and get home is unacceptable.

“I have no apology and the Government has a responsibility to provide a safe and reliable public transport system for these rural students. The bottom line is, I intend to work with the private transport operators and I might be able to arrange something with them to get the students from the districts,” declared Vaz.

He told the Observer that he is considering a system under which the private operators transport children from the districts to the main corridors, at price that they would pay on a JUTC bus, and the Government covers the difference between that and an adult fare.

Making his contribution to the 2025/26 Budget Debate last Thursday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the dedicated school bus system for rural Jamaica is to ensure equitable access, improved attendance, and enhanced safety while easing financial burdens on families.

Holness told the House that the bus system will be rolled out in phases with Phase One already underway as the JUTC expanded its service to Clarendon; St Thomas; and St Catherine.

“Phase Two will see 100 fully refurbished buses deployed across parishes, with 60 buses in September 2025 for the start of the new school year and another 40 buses by January 2026,” said Holness, who did not disclose how the acquisition of the buses will be financed with no provision in the Government’s 2025-26 Budget for this spending.

But on Sunday Vaz told the Observer that the money will be taken from the existing budgets of the ministries of education and transport.

“The cost of each bus, preliminary, is about J$4 million, based on the fact that they have been used in the US school bus system; so if we even put the total of between US$2.5 million and US$3 million, including spare parts, that will come out of existing allocations until a supplementary budget can be returned.

“It was not allocated in the Budget because this project only recently came up, and bottom line is that this is small money to be spent on something that will have such an impact,” said Vaz.

He added that once the initial deployment is successful he will be moving to get another 100 buses, including the small vehicles which will be needed to move the students from the districts.

The transport minister confirmed that each parish will initially receive at least seven buses, by sourcing, refurbishing, and deploying 100 42-seater school buses from the US.

Each bus will be assigned to a designated school, selected by the education ministry.

The assigned schools will be responsible for hiring drivers and overseeing the maintenance of the buses, while the education ministry will provide financial support to cover the costs associated with these responsibilities, through a subsidy for students on the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH).

Additional revenues will be collected from non-registered PATH commuters using the service to support the programme.

Students will be required to pay the subsidised rate comparable with the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region from a low of $20 — Spanish Town to Clarendon, to a high of $100 — Kingston to Morant Bay.

The buses will use a cashless payment system, allowing students to access transportation without the need for physical cash transactions.

Additionally, a telematic system will include tracking and tracing capabilities, real-time ridership data, fuel management, maintenance management, and reports to the participating schools, ensuring accountability and efficiency in service delivery.

In his Budget presentation Holness said due to the fact that the buses are those used in the US system, they will be refurbished with the doors placed on the correct side for use in Jamaica and the speed will be governed, so they will not be able to drive above a set speed to ensure safety of the children.