KINGSTON, Jamaica —Transport minister Daryl Vaz has confirmed the launch of the government’s rural school bus programme, with 60 buses deployed across all parishes on the first day of the academic year Monday.

“I can happily confirm to Jamaica that the 60 buses committed to be rolled out this September morning were rolled out across all parishes and things have gone quite well,” Minister Vaz said in an update.

The programme, which provides free transportation for students up to the tertiary level on both rural school buses and the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC), will be expanded in the coming weeks. Vaz said the government remains committed to introducing an additional 40 buses between September and November, bringing the total fleet to 100.

The ministry will conduct a review of Monday’s operations and a more detailed assessment at the end of the week to ensure the service continues to improve.

“Whatever changes are needed to be made for next week to make it even more [efficient] will be done,” he said.

He added that the initiative is designed to provide reliable transportation for students.

“So I think that the morning has gone quite well and we just continue to pray that we can work out all of the tweaks that need to be made to make the system more efficient, safe and affordable,” Vaz said, while thanking Jamaicans for what he said was their confidence in him and in the government led by Prime Minister elect Andrew Holness.