Press Release From The Jamaica Labour Party - July 14, 2026
Daryl Vaz is the man behind the school bus system.
Kingston, Jamaica — The Jamaica Labour Party welcomes media reports that, one year after its full roll-out, the National Rural School Bus Programme is getting high marks from school administrators, educators, and students who say it has largely delivered on its promise to make transportation safer, more affordable, and more reliable for thousands of students.
Reports in the media today, July 13, 2026, quote some school administrators, educators, and students as describing the impact of the school bus programme as transformational and “tremendous”.
Jamaica Labour Party Communication Chairman, Senator Abka Fitz-Henley, says:
“The Rural School Bus system is part of the Jamaica Labour Party Government’s commitment to delivering safer, dependable, and more affordable transportation for our students. The feedback in the publication in the print media today from school administrators, students, and parents that the programme is working well and has been tremendously beneficial to them is encouraging. Even as work continues to take place to improve the Rural School Bus initiative, commendations are due to Minister Vaz, who championed this initiative, and indeed to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Holness, which signed off on the programme. The programme is evidence that the Government of the Jamaica Labour Party is prepared to not just talk about creating safer and more affordable transportation for our students but is willing to act and deliver on that conviction and policy position.”
Senator Fitz-Henley says the positive reviews from stakeholders about the programme and the high marks given are yet another reminder that partisan politics must be avoided when treating with issues concerning our nation’s children.
“One of the low points of last year was when the Opposition PNP, including its President, Mark Golding, and Spokesmen, Peter Bunting, and Mikhail Phillips, took to the political platform to lambaste the Rural School Bus programme. Bunting and Golding denigrated the buses as old and sought to scare-monger by baselessly claiming that the buses are dangerous and would kill our children. That was unfortunate rhetoric from the Opposition. The fact is that Minister Vaz and his team did the appropriate research, and the programme has enumerated to the benefit of important stakeholders, including students and parents. Additionally, the experiences articulated by education stakeholders have re-confirmed that the buses are not only cost-effective but also a safe mode of transportation. Hopefully, going forward, it may be properly understood that baseless political rhetoric has no place in the conversation concerning our nation’s children and the parents, guardians, and educators who support them.”
The reports in the press quote the principals and educators as saying that students and parents have embraced the service because of its reliability and the financial relief it provides.
One principal is quoted as describing the school bus system as “a very good initiative and a marked improvement over what was in place before”.
The principal further stated that “students are happy that they don’t have to go through two or three different buses per day to reach school”.
Students were also quoted in the publication as stating that the Rural School Bus system has eased the financial burden on their families while providing a calmer alternative to the public transport they once depended on.
The Rural School Bus programme serves more than 13,000 students daily across 352 schools on 86 routes, using a fleet of 110 buses.
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This is such a good initiative, but it's a shame that it has been politicized. We really should consider our weakest and most vulnerable more important than our political ambitions. This should never have been politicised.
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