PNP Seeks to Clarify Stance on Rural School Bus Programme

The Opposition PNP is seeking to clarify its plan for rural transportation for school children.

In a statement on Tuesday, the party says while it’s in support of a rural programme, the importation of buses raises serious concerns.

The PNP is insisting the buses were taken out of service abroad and are not designed for Jamaica’s terrain or operating conditions.

The PNP has committed to upgrading the existing rural transport operations for students.

This is where private contractors currently provide buses to transport students on a daily basis.

The buses are usually on standby at rural high schools during the school week.

The service is normally organised and paid for by parents or through school arrangements.

The PNP says the existing model has evolved over the years and is supported in part by the government through transport subsidies for PATH beneficiaries.

The opposition says its proposed RIDE programme will improve the current model.

They say they intend to do it by targeting 20,000 students daily. The PNP says this would more than double the capacity the 100 imported buses can accommodate.

Opposition Spokesman on Transport, Mikael Phillips, says this will be done by increasing the budget for the system that is already in operation.