Scean Barnswell, the councillor for the Hayes Division and Minority Leader in the Clarendon Municipal Corporation, has joined calls from the National Parent-Teachers Association of Jamaica (NPTAJ) and school principals across Clarendon for the urgent reinstatement of the Rural Safe School Bus Programme.

This appeal follows a tragic crash on Monday along the Bustamante Highway, which claimed the lives of two Clarendon students, 12-year-old Richard Tulloh and 16-year-old Jody-Ann Lodge.

According to reports, the driver of a Subaru, which was being used as a taxi, lost control, colliding with a truck before veering into the path of a Toyota Pro Box. The two students and other passengers in the Subaru died from the injuries they sustained in the crash.

“This heartbreaking incident underscores the critical need for safe and reliable transportation for our children,” Barnswell stated. “It is an unimaginable loss for the families, the schools, and the wider Clarendon community. These tragedies are preventable, and we must act now to ensure no more lives are lost on our roads.”

Barnswell extended his deepest condolences to the families of Richard Tulloh and Jody-Ann Lodge and reiterated his commitment to working with all relevant stakeholders to prevent further tragedies on Clarendon’s roads.

“We cannot allow this to continue,” Barnswell emphasized. “I am renewing the call for the immediate reinstatement of the Rural Safe School Bus Programme. It is not just a matter of transportation—it is a matter of life and death. The Ministry of Transport must prioritize this programme, and we, as a community, must stand united in advocating for the safety of our children.”

In response, Transport Minister Daryl Vaz tweeted on Tuesday, December 3, stating that while the rural bus system is long overdue, it was never intended to be a solution to reckless driving.

“Both are not mutually exclusive. The Rural Bus System is long overdue, and having one in existence was never meant to be a cure for reckless driving. The aim is to have a safe, affordable, and reliable alternative for students and commuters. The Rural School bus service will have an impact on casualties similar to that of Monday rather than an impact on reckless driving,” Vaz said, responding to comments by Linvert Wright, President of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools, who noted that school bus services wouldn’t be effective if reckless driving persists.

The Rural Safe School Bus Programme was launched in September 2014 by the Transport Authority (TA) in collaboration with the Clarendon Parish Council. Initially, the program started as a pilot project in May Pen, later expanding to other areas of the parish.

It aimed to ensure safe and timely transportation for students, with the support of the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Education, and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). However, the program was discontinued in 2020.