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Western Bureau:
Students at nine high schools in western Jamaica will be able to travel more comfortably and efficiently when the new school year begins, as the Montego Bay Metro Bus Company (MBMBC) has been allocated 12 additional buses, bringing the region’s bus fleet to 18 buses.
The eight buses, which are said to be less than a year old, were presented to the MMBBC management by Transport Minister Daryl Vaz during a visit to the Montego Bay Bus Station on Thursday.
MBMBC General Manager Dr Shauna Gay Brown said the provision of these buses would significantly enhance the company’s ability to meet the needs of the commuting public.
“We will now provide timely dedicated transportation service to Irving High School and Spot Valley High School in St. James. Students at Hopewell High School in Hanover will also receive this service,” Brown said.
Currently, MBMBC operates a dedicated school and municipal bus service that transports students from Montego Bay to the wider St. James. The service also extends to students attending schools in the neighbouring parishes of Trelawny, including William Knibb Memorial High School and Wakefield Primary School; and Hanover, including Lucia High School, Sandy Bay Primary School and Junior High School. Schools in the rural area of St. James include Spot Valley High School, Cambridge High School, Goodwill and Adelphi Primary Schools.
With the arrival of the additional buses, MMBBC will be adding two new routes to Westmoreland, which will meet a long-term need in this area of the island.
“We will provide transportation to the town of Bethel and Savannah Lamar in Westmoreland. In Hanover, we will now serve commuters in Sandy Bay and Lucey, while in St. James, the John Hall community will benefit from the addition of a new route,” Brown told The Gleaners.
More buses are coming soon
As he handed over the buses, Watts took the opportunity to apologise to the commuting public in the west for the poor service they had experienced in the past.
“I apologize for the fact that the service was not up to par due to the lack of buses, but I think these new buses will improve our service tremendously,” said Vaz, who promised to give MMBBC a portion of the next batch of new buses.
On the issue of transferring MBMBC to a private operator, Vaze said that while it was a consideration, no decision had been made.
“No final decision has been made yet. It is something we are considering, but we have to remember that government public transport will always be cheaper than the private sector,” Vaz said.
Looking ahead, Vaz said students and regular commuters in Trelawny, St James, Hanover and Westmoreland will see a significant improvement to their transport needs.
“They will be upgrading the schools they serve from five to nine and will continue to serve four parishes, increasing routes from five to 11,” Vaz said.
Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon said he was pleased to see the new school buses in service before the start of the new school year and was particularly pleased that they were equipped to accommodate people with disabilities.
“I’m particularly pleased that by September, our students will be able to travel to and from school with confidence, safely, effectively and efficiently,” Vernon said.
“I’m glad that people with disabilities are being considered because this is another sign of the efforts Montego Bay has been making to ensure that people with disabilities are properly served.”
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