Rural School Bus Programme Outperforms Targets, Vaz Reports

Transport Minister Daryl Vaz says the Rural School Bus Programme is performing above expectations, with satisfaction among parents and students now at 100 per cent.

Speaking at yesterday’s post-Cabinet media briefing at Jamaica House, Vaz said that result is well above the initiative’s original 85 per cent target. He added that school attendance in communities using the service has risen by 95 per cent, while public backing for the programme is increasing.

“This initiative has become a model of effective public policy, improving educational access, reducing transportation costs for families and strengthening rural communities and ensuring that every child has a safe, reliable, dignified journey to school,” he said.

Vaz said the programme, introduced last September, was designed to tackle long-standing barriers linked to cost, access and student security in rural areas.

He reported strong first-year numbers, noting that about 349 schools are now benefiting. The minister said the system includes 86 dedicated routes, with roughly 90 buses deployed each day, more than 16,000 trips facilitated daily, and about 8,000 students carried safely to and from school.

According to Vaz, operations have remained steady at scale. He said the fleet covers more than 228,000 kilometres monthly and uses about 77,700 litres of fuel, while meeting maintenance schedules and full compliance for GPS monitoring and driver training. He also said around 90 trained professional drivers are in daily service.

“Operational performance has also been outstanding. Each month, the fleet travels more than 228,000 kilometres, consuming approximately 77,700 litres of fuel, while maintaining scheduled maintenance compliance, 100 per cent GPS monitoring compliance, 100 per cent driver training compliance and approximately 90 trained professional drivers operating daily,” he said.

The minister further stated that, since rollout, no student using the programme has been involved in any incident resulting in serious injury or loss of life.

“These are purpose-built buses and not just ordinary bus, so they are built with a protection mechanism for safety for these children,” he said.

Vaz also said discussions are now under way with the Ministry of Finance on phase two of the initiative.

He said the intention had been to add another 100 buses in the current financial year, but those plans remain under review because of budget pressures, including the impact of Hurricane Melissa.

“We had intended to do another 100 buses for this financial year. We are still in discussions with the Ministry of Finance based on budgetary constraints, based on [Hurricane] Melissa, but I know that it is a priority for the Cabinet, and I know it’s a priority for all my colleague ministers and members of parliament on both sides of the House,” he said.