UAE | Traffic and Transport

School bus leaves boy at wrong stop

A young pupil who was allowed to get off at the wrong bus stop has once again put question marks over the attitude of some bus drivers and conductors in school buses.

  • By Sunita Menon, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 23:54 June 22, 2008
  • Gulf News

Dubai: A young pupil who was allowed to get off at the wrong bus stop has once again put question marks over the attitude of some bus drivers and conductors in school buses.

The incident took place on June 19, when a kindergarten pupil of the Our Own English High School, Dubai, on his way back from school by bus number 13, alighted at Rolla Street in Bur Dubai near the Naboodha Building.

Alert parents who had come to the bus stop to collect their children, saw the young boy standing alone and shouted at the school bus driver to stop the vehicle and get the child back on board.

Parents said instead of being apologetic for their irresponsible behaviour, the driver as well as the conductor were rude and in turn asked them to mind their own business.

Bindu Menon, one of the parents who always goes to the bus stop to pick up her child at 11.30am, said she reported the matter to the school authorities.

"My son studies at the same school. There are about seven or eight children who alight at the bus stop. I was there to pick up my son as usual.

"Other parents and guardians were also waiting at the bus stop. We noticed a small boy whom we had not seen before, had also got off the bus and was standing there alone. We realised nobody had come to pick him up.

"The bus conductor got back into the bus and the bus started moving away. When I asked the conductor how he could make such a mistake, he said he was not the usual conductor. The driver got angry and started talking in a very abusive way. He told me I had got my child and that it was not my problem. He said I should not bother if he were lost or if he went home safe. All the other parents who were with me at that time were shocked to hear this kind of talk from the driver," said Menon.

She said the school transport supervisor did get in touch with her to inform her that an apology will be extended once the school reopens on September 1.

Responsible

"My concern is that if this is the state of school transport when the school is still providing it, what will happen when these schools start outsourcing transport. Who will be responsible for the children and to us parents?" said Menon.

A senior official from Global Education Systems (GEMs) under whom the school operates said: "This is an odd incident. We regret it but we want to assure all parents that the safety and security of their children in school buses is seen as a priority by GEMs," said the official.

If this is the state of transport .... what will happen when these schools start outsourcing transport?"

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