Transport Minister Daryl Vaz is rejecting a suggestion by the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper in its publication of July 13, 2025, that a company, El Hydro, was permitted to import 110 buses into Jamaica despite not being certified and or licensed to do so.

The minister said the “suggestion is reckless, false and misleading”.

Vaz reiterated that the facts are as follows:

The Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications, and Transport is the documented licensed importer of all buses brought into Jamaica under the Government’s Rural School Bus initiative.

El Hydro acted as the supplier for the ministry, given that they are the sole approved agent in Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean for the dealer/manufacturer of the make/model buses, which were imported.

El Hydro received permission from the Trade Board to facilitate the importation of the buses on behalf of the ministry. For emphasis, the ministry is the documented licensed importer of the 110 buses.

El Hydro would not be required to be registered with the Trade Board as a used motor vehicle dealer, as school buses are specialised units which are not imported for resale as would be the case for dealers who trade in the business of used vehicles.

Based on contractual arrangements, El Hydro had responsibility for sourcing, shipping and clearing the buses on arrival in Jamaica and handing over to the ministry. The importation licence obtained by the ministry was the premise upon which the vehicles were allowed into Jamaica.

El Hydro was granted a permit by the Trade Board to import only three buses under a private pilot initiative. This was issued in keeping with the motor vehicle importation policy.

Vaz said the Gleaner article also perpetuates the false notion that the vehicles under the Rural Bus System may not have been certified despite the fact that rigorous certification procedures were observed. He said it should be noted:

1. The 110 buses were certified in 2025 as required by the United States Department of Transportation’s stringent criteria. The buses were assessed by specialist bus inspection entities which operate in all 50 states in the USA and are approved by the Department of Transportation.
2.  Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) engineers visited the United States and conducted rigorous inspection of the buses.
3. The Island Traffic Authority, which is the competent authority in Jamaica to conduct certification of vehicles, conducted rigorous certification processes and subsequently issued certification of fitness for the vehicles.

Vaz said that “unsurprisingly, the headline in the Jamaica Gleaner of July 13, 2025, which states ‘Not Certified’, appears to deliberately and recklessly perpetuate false, disingenuous and misleading narratives concerning a transformative policy which will positively impact rural Jamaica”.

Vaz added: “We urge more responsible journalism and hope the publication does not represent a continuation of mischief being perpetuated by a few partisan stakeholders concerning certified, fit-for-purpose and functional units imported to facilitate the implementation of Rural School Bus System, which will provide safety and convenience for our nation’s children and reduce transportation costs faced by parents.”