KINGSTON, Jamaica– Transport Minister, Daryl Vaz says there is no truth to suggestions that a company, El Hydro, was permitted to import 110 used school buses into Jamaica despite not being certified and or licensed to do so, following news reports.

“The suggestion is reckless, false and misleading,” Vaz said, indicating that the ministry is the documented licensed importer of all buses imported for the Government’s Rural School Bus programme. The minister also shared a copy of the import licence.

“El Hydro acted as the supplier for the ministry given that they are the sole approved agent in Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean for the dealer/manufacturer of the make/model buses which were imported,” said Vaz.

The minister said that based on contractual arrangements, El Hydro had responsibility for sourcing, shipping and clearing the buses on arrival in Jamaica and handing them over to the ministry. The importation licence obtained by the ministry was the premise upon which the vehicles were allowed into Jamaica he explained.

Vaz maintained that while El Hydro received permission from the Trade Board to facilitate the importation of the buses on behalf of the ministry, the company would not be required to be registered with the Trade Board as a used motor vehicle dealer. This is because “school buses are specialised units which are not imported for re-sale as would be the case for dealers who trade in the business of used vehicles”.

In addition, Vaz said El Hydro was granted a permit by the Trade Board to import only three buses under a private pilot initiative. He maintained that this was issued in keeping with the motor vehicle importation policy

The minister also rejected assertions that the vehicles may not have been certified.

“The 110 buses were certified in 2025 as required by the United States Department of Transport’s stringent criteria. The buses were assessed by specialist bus inspection entities which operate in all 52 states in the USA and are approved by the Department of Transportation,” said Vaz.

He added that “Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) engineers visited the United States and conducted rigorous inspection of the buses. The Island Traffic Authority, which is the competent authority in Jamaica to conduct certification of vehicles, conducted rigorous certification processes and subsequently issued certification of fitness for the vehicles”.

Vaz condemned what he described as misleading narratives concerning the Government’s “transformative policy” to implement a rural school bus system.

An import licence shared by Minister Vaz