Are the yellow buses safe?

The recent incident of child abuse in a school bus has prompted school transport providers to review the existing safety procedures. Though most schools outsource their transport requirements to specialised companies, school managements are making every effort to communicate their safety requirements to the transport providers.

School Transport Services (STS), one of the largest transport providers for school students in the UAE, which provides transport to over 44,000 students in 32 different schools has already announced plans to install CCTV cameras in more than 1,000 buses operated by the company.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, ML Augustine, managing director, STS confirmed that the entire fleet of school buses will be fitted with cameras by the end of the year and a dedicated team of personnel would monitor the buses from a control centre.”

STS already manages a dedicated control centre to track the movement of buses via satellite and the new system will comprehend the existing safety features provided by the company.

“We are trying our best to provide 100 per cent safety to our students and our drivers are briefed by special trainers every day,” added Augustine.

Advising parents to report any abnormal behaviour by drivers, the transport provider has requested parents to remain calm in the light of recent incidents of abuse.

Shabina Afazal who sends her 3-year-old daughter to a play school in Dubai feels safety measures currently in place are not enough to protect younger kids going to school.

“Although school authorities are investing in GPS systems and other technology, such incidents can happen to anyone. There is a real need to provide training to school pupils and the school management should make every effort to provide female bus conductors,” says Shabina.

Several other parents expressed concern over the inability of transport providers to hire female bus monitors.

“Schools can introduce cameras for buses, but the real solution is to hire female assistants to protect the children. Every bus should have a female assistant, a medical staff and a responsible teacher who should be available till the last stop and then only will the use of cameras be of any use,” says Anju Abil, another parent.

“Although we have outsourced our transport system, it is the school’s responsibility to protect the students once they get picked from their home. We ensure every bus has a female bus monitor to take care of the students during the journey,” says Guruswamy Kalloor, General Manager, JSS International School.

The school has reported no instances of abuse in its buses since it started two years ago.

“Parents receive an SMS when the school bus reaches near the bus stop. In case there is a delay, parents can go online and check where the school bus has reached. They can also call the bus drivers and ask them in case the bus is delayed,” he adds.

Taaleem schools also provide female bus monitors for students. “We have female bus monitors on all our buses as the kids are much safer when travelling with them,” says Tom Matthews, Projects Director, Taaleem.

School transport providers are required to meet guidelines issued by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and a special handbook titled ‘School Transport Manual’ stipulates the rules and guidelines for drivers, parents, attendants and school management highlighting the various aspects of travel safety for school students.

— Dr Salaria Aamir Ahmad, St. Peters, Missouri, USA