Students, parents and teachers from Lawrence Tavern in rural St. Andrew, have welcomed the Government’s new rural school bus initiative, describing it as safe, reliable and a much-needed support for education. Lawrence Tavern Primary School student Dainia Lewis, who rode on the bus on the first day of the school year on September 8, told JIS News that she immediately...

Drivers in the National Rural School Bus Programme have undergone cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first-aid training, signalling the Government’s commitment to ensure student safety. Speaking on the JIS television programme ‘Get the Facts’, Corporate Communications Manager at the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC), Shantole Thompson, said comprehensive safety protocols are in place to protect students on board the buses. “Our...

Communities across the island not yet covered under the National Rural School Bus Programme are being encouraged to submit requests for inclusion to the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC). Speaking on the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) television programme Get the Facts, Corporate Communications Manager at JUTC, Shantole Thompson, said that while the initial rollout targeted areas with high demand, the...

Principal of the Morant Bay Primary School in St. Thomas, Fay Lindsay, is optimistic that the National Rural School Bus System will help to solve the punctuality challenge facing the student population. “I am hoping that it (the school bus) will improve attendance. One of our issues for last year was punctuality, and this was because students had challenges in...

All students will ride free of cost on the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses and the units under the National Rural School Bus Programme from September to October 2025. Students are required to present a valid school identification (ID) card or be dressed in their school uniform to benefit. This special provision, announced recently by Prime Minister, Dr. the...

The National Rural School Bus Programme officially rolled out on Monday (September 8), with some 60 buses deployed across the island. Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport, Hon. Daryl Vaz; Education, Skills, Youth and Information Minister, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon; and Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Fayval Williams, were on hand to observe...

More than 120 drivers are currently being trained islandwide for the National Rural School Bus Programme, to ensure a high level of professionalism under the programme. “A fleet of buses alone cannot succeed without the people, the systems and the structures to support it. The training of drivers goes beyond driving. It covers child supervision, emergency response, and the laws...