MANCHESTER, Jamaica — Members of the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) have continued to double down on the party’s disagreement with the Government’s Rural School Bus System.

Opposition spokesman on National Security Senator Peter Bunting, who on Friday blasted the Government’s plan, said he will not withdraw comments he made about the safety of the buses.

“I hear that the labourites and their apologists, is like we stir up an ants nest with the school bus remark…Yes I raised the alarm and warn seh we nuh wan kill off poor people pickney wid some old bus and I make no apology for that,” he said on Sunday at the PNP parish meeting in Christiana, Manchester.

Bunting claimed that the buses are not fit for the country’s roads.

“These buses that they are bringing in, these are not pre-owned vehicles. These are retired old buses. Many are over 10 to 15 year old with hundreds of thousands of miles on the clock, so when I sound the alarm me nuh care what the labourite say or who they say we are,” he said.

“These were pulled out of circulation in the United States, because their engines are tired. Their suspensions are worn. Their wiring system are brickle. In the northern states many have been subject to years of salted roads which corrode the frames and the brake lines,” he added.

He continued to question the safety of the buses to not only passengers, but other road users including pedestrians.

“Now imagine you bring those old buses to Manchester, to Trelawny, the hills of Clarendon, the hill of St Elizabeth. These buses were not built for this terrain when they were new, much less when they are 10 and 15 years old with hundreds of thousands of miles,” he said.

“What we know these school buses have is the long overhang. When you go around the corner on the narrow roads the swing out weh you get from that overhang who knows what that can do to the poor pedestrians and we nuh have nuh sidewalk pon those roads,” he added.

He pointed to tragic accidents over the years which have claimed the lives of schoolchildren in north east Manchester.

“The people in this constituency will understand more than most the risk to our children and school buses. How many catastrophic accidents have we had with Holmwood children?” he asked.

“Me nuh care who wan vex. I wouldn’t put my child on that old bus,” added Bunting.

Opposition Spokesman on Transport Mikael Phillips said the PNP has taken issue with the implementation of the programme.

“A couple weeks ago, I challenged the minister of transport, who only knows to call people badmind, I challenged him to a debate on public transport, but at no time comrades did the People’s National Party ever say that we are against a school bus system to transport our children. Never!” he said.

READ: Phillips challenges gov’t to national debate on public transport system

“Where we have a difference is how we are going to do it and our plan is a better plan that what they have, because hear me out quickly comrades. They say they can move 4,000 students on a daily basis and we propose that we are going to move 20,000 students every day,” he added.

He reiterated the PNP’s plan to support public passenger vehicle operators.

“As a responsible Government in waiting, we say let us take the man who has the Voxy to support him to buy a 30-seater. Let us use the [people] who are already in the system rather than taking money and wasting it on an older bus when we are already losing money,” he said.

Opposition Leader and PNP President Mark Golding chided the Government’s plan.

“We have heard already about the JLP solution to bring in 110 old buses to carry the children. We have grave concerns about that approach. We don’t think it is workable and we think it is very problematic and dangerous. Our proposal is to spend $1.9 billion a year to provide a subsidy for school transportation cost for children who need that help identified by the schools themselves and social workers,” he said.

— Kasey Williams