Rural Bus System Designed to Rebalance Equity and Good Governance That Benefits All
Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to equitable development, outlining a national transportation strategy designed to ensure no Jamaican is left behind.
Prime Minister Holness described the initiative as a deliberate, equity-focused investment that reflects sound, responsible, and inclusive policymaking.
“When you’re making policy, you want to make everybody better off. That’s what you want to do, number one. Or if you can’t do that, you have to make at least one person better off and nobody else worse off. That is the minimum definition of progress and fairness in welfare distribution,” stated Prime Minister Holness.
The Prime Minister emphasized that this latest delivery of buses, while a critical boost for urban commuters, is only one part of a broader vision that seeks to address historic inequities in the public transport system, particularly for rural schoolchildren.
“Developing the rural school bus system will rebalance the equity in the society by ensuring that urban commuters, particularly our children, will get the same equitable access, comfort, convenience and affordability as everyone else in the society. And that’s why this is so important.”
The expansion of the JUTC fleet, including the gradual extension of services into rural-urban centers like Morant Bay, Clarendon, Ocho Rios, and St. Mary, marks a deliberate policy to create national inclusiveness through mobility.
The Prime Minister noted that equitable access to transport has far-reaching implications for education, community development and national cohesion.
Dr. Holness also welcomed the international partnerships that are helping to shape Jamaica’s public transportation landscape, commending manufacturers from China and the United States for providing durable and well-suited buses for both urban and school transportation use.
Prime Minister Holness highlighted that school buses being sourced from the United States bring the benefit of decades of proven experience in rural transport, adapted for terrains and climates similar to Jamaica’s.
In the meantime, the Prime Minister described the improved bus and transport system as evidence of a responsible and visionary government.
“All in all, the strategy that we have applied, the thinking behind it, is only for the benefit of Jamaica. Jamaica is better today for having this. And this is an example of good government, of a thinking government, of a caring government, a government that is working very hard to earn your trust and your vote.”
The Prime Minister was speaking at the handover ceremony of 93 new buses to the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) at the Braeton Depot in Portmore on Wednesday (July 16).