AS the rural school bus programme got under way Monday morning with the first 60 units dispatched across the island Transport Minister Daryl Vaz reported that the first day ran smoothly, and promised reviews throughout the week to iron out any glitches and improve efficiency.

At the same time, it emerged that there is far greater demand for the service on the Falmouth to Wakefield route. However, parents whose children were able to access the service on the Falmouth to Brown’s Town route were extremely pleased.

“I feel good because the taxi dem don’t even want to carry them sometimes. I have three children, one board at Moneague and these two going to Brown’s Town. The little one going to Servite Primary School in Brown’s Town and the bigger going to St Hilda’s High School for girls. Mek we see how it work,” hotel worker Sonia Cunningham told the Jamaica Observer.

Another mother, whose son boarded the bus just before it departed, was equally appreciative.

“I love it,” was her terse response.

Vaz said the Government remains committed to introducing the remaining 40 buses between September and November, which will bring the fleet to 100 by the end of the year. He stressed that the roll-out is being closely monitored to ensure the service operates reliably.

“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. We are going to do a review at the end of today and, of course, at the end of this week we will do a full review to make sure that whatever changes are needed to be made for next week, it will be done,” he said.

The roll-out in St Andrew began before dawn, with officials touring Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre before heading to Papine as students from schools along that route, such as Jamaica College, Ardenne High, and Mona High, travelled on the buses. Vaz was joined by Education Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon and Minister of Finance and the Public Service Fayval Williams.

Vaz took the opportunity to remind the public that students travelling on both the rural school buses and Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) services will ride free of charge until October, including tertiary-level students using the JUTC buses.

This benefit was announced by Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness on August 10, during the Jamaica Labour Party’s mass meeting in Half-Way-Tree.

Meanwhile, at the Falmouth Transport Centre students on the morning shift at Muschett High School in Wakefield expressed disappointment that they would not be able to access the bus, as the service was not slated for their route.

“They should have put one on the Wakefield route,” said a bystander.

Former Jamaica Teachers’ Association president and Muschett High School Principal Leighton Johnson welcomed the roll-out of the bus system but stated his disappointment that the Falmouth-to-Wakefield route was not included.

“We would really welcome that route from Falmouth to Wakefield… to service both shifts for Muschett High School,” Johnson told the Observer in a phone interview.

“This is something that I have called for. It’s a proposal that I have made because we’ve always had concerns about how our students commute both to and from school so, of course, the rural bus programme is an initiative that I welcome,” he added.

The buses, sourced from the United States, are built to navigate rough terrain. This fleet forms part of a larger plan to cover 100 routes and reach 258 schools, benefiting an estimated 328,000 students. The programme is also aimed at lowering absenteeism and easing transportation expenses for families while providing a safe option for students.

On July 31, during a press briefing, Vaz said the Government is committed to expanding the programme to reach all 850 schools in rural Jamaica in the future, with a student population of more than 650,000.

Education Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon (centre) and Finance Minister Fayval Williams converse with Jamaica College student Matthew Williamson during the roll-out of the National Rural School Bus Programme on Monday. (Photo: JIS)

Students from Mona High School in St Andrew disembark a bus as the National Rural School Bus Programme officially rolled out on Monday. (Photo: JIS)

Hotel worker Sonia Cunningham escorts two of her children to the school bus at Falmouth Transport Centre, Monday morning. (Photo: Horace Hines)