UAE: What do school bus drivers do during long summer breaks?

While the safety and well-being of UAE students are a top priority, the welfare of those who care for and transport them to school daily is equally important.

When students enjoy a two-month break during the long summer vacation, school bus drivers employed by transportation companies also have the opportunity to take a break, allowing them to unwind for at least 30 days each year.

However, some contract drivers may take seasonal jobs, such as driving for summer camps, tour buses, or public transportation, to supplement their income. For others, the summer break is a chance to relax, travel back to their home countries, and spend time with family.

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'Encouraged to go home annually'

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Steve Burnell, managing director of School Transport Services (STS) group, said, “I can’t speak for how other employers employ, but when we recruit our people, whether that’s our drivers, our bus guardians, technicians, admin staff, managers, they’re employed full time. We pay their salaries 12 months a year and are given 30-day leave each year. We encourage our school bus drivers to go home annually, so they get a yearly flight allowance, not every two years.

"We’ve got all our employees from overseas. So they need to rest and recuperate. When the schools are closed during short breaks, they also get back to some of the training that they need to do,” he added.

Like everyone else, these drivers are entitled to national holidays and are eligible for overtime if they are required to work on public holidays.

Most bus transportation companies offer a broad spectrum of transport and technical services, not only for education but even for corporate business sectors, employing their staff elsewhere intermittently during holidays.

"Staff who may be required to work during public or national holidays are compensated accordingly," he added.

Logistical challenges

Even if schools remain closed for nearly two months, Burnell highlighted there are certain logistical challenges.

“Let’s say if 70 per cent of our employees want to go on vacation in an eight-week window, they all can’t leave on the same day. They stagger. Meanwhile, they may have to undergo some training programmes.

"We’ve actually been in difficult positions before when we’ve had floods in Pakistan and in South India. So, you can imagine how nervous we were three weeks before schools started when they were out of the country," he added.

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