UAE | Traffic and Transport

New safety rules set for school buses

School buses and their drivers will have to get special operating licences from the Dubai Roads and Transport Agency to ensure the safety of pupils

  • By Ashfaq Ahmed, Chief Reporter
  • Published: 00:03 June 12, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • The new rule for school buses and their drivers will be enforced from September 1. A six-month grace period will be given to schools to put the safety measures in place.
  • Image Credit: Arshad Ali/Gulf News Archive

Dubai: School buses and their drivers will have to get special operating licences from the Dubai Roads and Transport Agency to ensure the safety of pupils, Gulf News has learnt.

The decision came as part of the new stringent safety rules approved by the higher authorities, to improve school bus safety standards in the emirate.

The new rules for school buses will be enforced from September 1, while a six month grace period will be given to schools to put in place new safety measures.

At least 10 school children have died in different accidents involving school buses since January 2007.

Fines

School buses failing to follow rules will face fines and even cancellation of licences, while the RTA inspectors will have the authority to issue fines to violators in collaboration with the police.

As per the new rules, all buses whether owned by schools or rented by them will be licenced with the Public Transport Agency. All school bus drivers will have to get a special permit from the RTA to drive a school bus.

Licences for drivers and buses will be renewed every year.

Accidents fines

  • Operating bus without a permit Dh500
  • Operating bus with expired permit Dh100
  • Driving school bus without RTA's permit Dh500
  • Violation of safety specification Dh300
  • Failure to operate stop sign arm Dh200

Timeline

  • April 24, 2008: A kindergarten pupil in Abu Dhabi, died in a school bus after he apparently suffocated.
  • April 6: A negligent school bus driver crushed to death W.A.G, a three-year-old kindergarten pupil, when the child stumbled and fell in Al Ain.
  • March 2: A school bus ran over a five-year-old girl moments after she had got off the vehicle, killing her on the spot. Yasmin Ramadan from Egypt was returning from her evening classes in Al Garhoud, Dubai.
  • February 14: Two schoolgirls died after being run over by a car after getting off a school bus in Ras Al Khaimah.
  • July 10, 2007: A four-year-old girl died after she was run over by the school bus which brought her home from school in Al Riffa, Khor Fakkan.
  • May 14: A 10 year-old boy was hit by a car and died in the school's parking lot in Sharjah.

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