Daryl Vaz says rural school bus programme succeeding as fleet expansion begins

Works Minister Hon. Daryl Vaz said at a post-Cabinet briefing on July 15, 2026 that Jamaica’s rural school bus programme performed strongly in its first year and is now moving into year two with plans to bring in more buses and lock in operating funds.

Vaz said the positive assessment was not his alone. Parents, students, teachers and schools that use the service have described the first year as an overwhelming success, he reported.

The programme currently carries children to more than 300 schools each day. With operations now in the second year, the government is in the process of importing additional buses, Vaz said, and must ensure the budget properly covers continued running of the initial fleet of 100 buses plus 10 further buses.

He warned that the system cannot be allowed to fail for want of financial support. Vaz also expressed thanks that the programme has recorded no fatalities to date.

In the same briefing, the minister indicated he also addressed the merit point system, though he did not elaborate on that issue in the remarks available from the segment.