Rural school bus system to go cashless February 1

Starting February 1, students without a student transportation card "will not be allowed to take the rural school buses," Transport Minister Daryl Vaz has announced, urging parents to register their children ahead of the deadline.

"The warning has been sounded," he said at a post-Cabinet news conference on Wednesday.

“I want to make it very clear, that come February first, if you do not have a student card, and you have not topped up your student card, to pay the subsidised fare of fifty dollars, you will be going back to the old system of paying $300-$600 a day and going through the trauma of competing with the adults for transportation," Vaz added.

He said additional drivers have also been trained in anticipation of increased demand.

“I want to take the opportunity to encourage parents and students who have not yet signed up for their students’ transportation card, to do so now, as the drivers will not be accepting cash,” he added.

The school bus system was launched last year and has been offering free service since September, but Vaz said that approach is "unsustainable".

Vaz has also appealed to Members of Parliament, councillors, churches, NGOs, and government entities to help increase registration during January to ensure buses operate at optimum capacity.

Parents can access the registration form via the websites of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company or the Ministry of Education, as well as their social media platforms, Vaz said.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon said the ministry has been working with school administrators and will conduct school-based registration visits to assist students.

Vaz said 82 school buses have been dispatched to locations islandwide since the beginning of the Easter Term on January 5.

- Sashana Small

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