KINGSTON, Jamaica — Opposition spokesperson on Transport and Mining, Mikael Phillips, is calling for an urgent update from Minister of Transport, Daryl Vaz, on the state of the maintenance contracts with El Hydro Limited, which supplied the 110 US-retired school buses to the Government of Jamaica a year ago.

Phillips, in a statement on Thursday, said part of the justification for the high price of the units was that the supplier would be maintaining the buses to guarantee safety and maximum fleet availability. He said the fire which destroyed one of the units on Wednesday has raised serious questions about the existence of effective maintenance, covering periodic pre-dispatch checks, routine servicing as well as “D” checks and whether all units have working fire extinguishers on board.

READ: School bus driver escapes injury after bus bursts into flames in south Manchester

The Opposition spokesperson said while he was relieved that no one was injured as the incident took place during the summer break, the government must satisfy the public that all units will be checked, maintained and are roadworthy for the new school year, which begins in just over a month. He said while he appreciated the need for a full investigation of the cause or causes of the fire, history has shown that almost all JUTC bus fires are caused by maintenance issues, especially buildup in fuel lines.

Phillips said the lives of young Jamaican students should not be put at risk. So while the fire investigation is ongoing, the management of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company should be instructed to begin a programme of detailed checks on all units immediately.

“It should be noted that not all units are parked in JUTC depots, and in this case this unit was based at Plowden in South Manchester,” he noted.

“The question, therefore, arises how often are these off-site buses checked and maintained and is it in accordance with the company’s standard maintenance programme for high-use units”, he asked.

The spokesperson said he was also using the opportunity to call on the minister to provide an update on the procurement, arrival and deployment of the 100 new school buses which he promised earlier this year. He said since the announcement, the minister had failed to provide particulars, even with the new school year fast approaching.