Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced new regulations for the school transport sector, under which buses will be fitted with GPS tracking systems starting April 1.
Management of schools will also be allowed to modify the seating of large buses (with over 50 seats) provided that two fire extinguishers, two attendants, and two first aid kits are provided, the RTA said.
The RTA has also banned the use of minibuses under 6.2m in length in school transport, for safety reasons and to accommodate larger numbers of students. An 18-month grace period was given to schools to phase out the use of minibuses by the deadline of March 1.
“The implementation of the School Transport Law has played a crucial role in maintaining the safety of different age groups of students using school buses. This is evident from the drop in the number of annual accidents recorded in this sector by 10%,” said Adel Shakri, Director of Planning and Business Development at the RTA Public Transport Agency.
As a result of more stringent regulation for the sector, the number of fatalities was cut to zero last year.
The drop in accidents is primarily due to the collaboration between the RTA, school managements and transport operators, as well as parents, he added.
