The Jamaican Authorities’s push to increase public transportation throughout Jamaica is gaining momentum, with the primary batch of college buses for rural communities set to reach on the island this week. The rollout marks a significant step in bridging the long-standing transportation hole between city facilities and underserved rural parishes.
Minister of Science, Power, Telecommunications and Transport, Hon. Daryl Vaz, confirmed the event through the arrival of 63 compressed pure fuel (CNG) buses for the Jamaica City Transit Firm (JUTC) at Kingston Wharves final Thursday. These new autos are a part of the broader nationwide effort to modernize and inexperienced Jamaica’s public transit fleet.
“Subsequent week, we’ll be again right here for the primary set of college buses,” Vaz mentioned. “And we’ll be again each week for the following three or 4 weeks till all 110 buses arrive.”
The buses, procured underneath the Rural College Bus Programme, are anticipated to start service by the beginning of the 2025/26 tutorial yr in September, offering college students in rural communities with secure, dependable, and reasonably priced transportation to and from faculty.
Roughly 100 buses will likely be deployed throughout 12 parishes, serving 258 rural faculties in whole. St. Ann will obtain the biggest allocation with 10 buses protecting 29 faculties, whereas Clarendon follows with 9 buses for 32 faculties. The programme spans a large geographic attain, together with Portland, Hanover, Manchester, and St. Elizabeth, with every parish receiving between 5 and 9 buses relying on want.
Mother and father and college students will profit from a flat fare of simply $50 per journey, a closely sponsored price that’s anticipated to ease monetary burdens on households and improve faculty attendance in hard-to-reach areas. An estimated 320,000 college students stand to learn islandwide.
“That is only the start,” Vaz mentioned, noting that the purpose is to completely outfit the varsity bus system with 300 to 400 buses throughout the subsequent three years. “We’re constructing a secure, economical, and environment friendly faculty transport community that serves each rural group.”
The Rural College Bus Programme is a part of a broader transportation overhaul that features eco-friendly initiatives such because the introduction of CNG-powered buses, with a view to bettering air high quality and lowering operational prices.
With buses scheduled to reach in waves all through the following month, the Ministry says it’s on monitor to have all autos inspected, assigned, and operational in time for the brand new faculty yr — setting the stage for a transformative change in how rural college students entry schooling.
