The Ministry of Social Development and Education has received six new “state-of-the-art” buses to help improve the safety, comfort and reliability of student transportation.
The Ministry of Infrastructure officially handed over the fully air-conditioned vehicles during a ceremony at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School’s Campus Q on 28 August.
Government ministers and officials, education officials, school representatives, bus drivers, students, invited guests and members of the media attended the event.
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The ceremony featured remarks from infrastructure minister Jose Vanterpool, education and youth minister Shellya Rogers-Webster and bus drivers’ representative Justus Rogers.
Pastor Philip Gumbs then gave a prayer of thanksgiving and blessed the buses before Vanterpool formally handed over the keys to Rogers-Webster.
‘A meaningful modernisation’
Vanterpool described the occasion as a “proud moment” for the government, adding: “This investment is a testament to what can be achieved when ministries work together with a shared purpose.”
He said the handover was particularly significant because, apart from two buses received last year, the national school bus fleet had not been expanded in about 20 years.
“These six new school buses, therefore, represent not just a replacement, but a meaningful modernisation of our student transportation system and an investment in Anguilla’s next generation,” he added.
He said the buses are fitted with security cameras on both the interior and exterior and feature a vehicle tracking system for added safety.
They may also be fitted with scanners, Vanterpool said, allowing students to use ID cards to board and exit, improving accountability.
“This is exactly the kind of smart investment that we should be making when we combine infrastructure with technology to improve the services that we are able to deliver to our people,” he said.
‘School bus crisis’
Rogers-Webster said mechanical problems had left the existing fleet unreliable, with one bus taken out of service and additional buses regularly contracted to keep routes running.
She said parents had also raised concerns about cancelled routes and children being left behind because of limited capacity, prompting her to flag the situation as a “school bus crisis” earlier this year.
The minister said the government had earmarked EC$3 million for the six buses in last year’s budget and worked closely with the Ministry of Infrastructure to secure “state-of-the-art” vehicles.
A multidisciplinary team assessed options in Florida earlier this year, considering safety, capacity, maintenance and long-term value rather than price alone, she said.
“The arrival of these six buses therefore represents more than just the purchase of vehicles – it is an investment in safer journeys, improved service reliability, greater transportation capacity.”
She stressed that school transportation is not simply about moving children from one location to the other, rather it is an essential link in the education system.
“When a student can travel to and from school safely and reliably and on time, that student is better positioned to learn,” she said.
‘Dedicated and reliable drivers’
Representing the team of bus drivers, veteran driver Justus Rogers said the school buses will be “taken proper care”, adding: “We are dedicated and reliable drivers.”
He went on to urge government officials to clear overhanging trees along the bus routes and carefully assess field-trip locations to help prevent damage to the new vehicles.
During the ceremony, Rogers-Webster announced that, from 2027, all school bus drivers will become full-time government employees, giving them access to insurance and pension benefits.
She said the move would address a longstanding issue around formally incorporating bus drivers into the government’s established workforce.
Rogers-Webster thanked drivers for their years of dedication and commitment to transporting students.
She added that there are plans in place to acquire an additional smaller vehicle to provide accessible transportation for people with mobility issues.
