Families who resort to it because the school is far from the residential area

“Unapproved buses” .. Lower costs for parents and greater risks for students

• School buses are the safest mode of transportation for students.

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Students choose private buses in Fujairah, belonging to rental companies that are not approved by the official authorities, to transport their children from home to school, despite the danger of this type of decision, especially since these companies are not subject to the necessary oversight.

Parents attributed their decision to the location of the school far from their residential area and the lack of coverage by school bus companies for the area in which they live, in addition to the low cost compared to other means.

Member of the Federal National Council, Sabreen Hassan Al Yamahi, stated that the responsibility lies with the guardian in the first place, as he ensures the security and safety of his son by choosing the safe means of transportation that takes him from home to school, and then returns him, throughout the school year.

She added that the authorities responsible for them have a supervisory and oversight role, which includes the necessary procedures to ensure that private bus drivers with approved companies comply with the specific security and safety requirements, and their compliance with the stipulated traffic regulations.

Al-Yamahi said that using the private bus, through rental companies that are not approved by the official authorities, is extremely dangerous, because the vehicle is not subject to supervision, and its driver cannot be sure of the safety requirements to preserve the safety of its young passengers from traffic accidents, noting that “The student’s father may search for the best school at the educational level on a larger scale than the schools surrounding his residential area, which makes him obliged to provide a special means of transportation, without paying attention to the necessity of choosing among the approved companies, which apply specific requirements that include the necessity of having a student and kindergarten supervisor. children, in addition to the requirements that preserve the safety of students during the round trip.

And she added, "The requirements set for school buses also stipulate the mandatory presence of safety belts to protect students from the risk of falling or crashing in the event the bus is involved in a traffic accident, which cannot be ascertained by unaccredited companies because they are not covered by oversight."

Al-Yamahi called on the responsible authorities to enhance societal awareness regarding the selection of the appropriate and safest means of transportation for the student, with the monitoring of private bus drivers who violate traffic regulations, in addition to issuing a violation of the guardian who is lenient in choosing means of transport not approved by the official authorities, in search of the cost. the least.

For his part, the Director of the Traffic and Patrols Department in the Fujairah Police, Colonel Saleh Mohammed Al Dhanhani, confirmed that the responsibility for transporting school students lies with their families, pointing out the need to choose a safe means of transportation that meets the required conditions, such as the presence of single seats and a safety belt for each seat, with the vehicle being checked. periodically to ensure that it does not malfunction while driving.

Al-Dhanhani believes that the best vehicle for transporting students after school buses is the “van”, as it contains single seats, and its capacity allows students to pass smoothly from their seats to the door, in addition to the availability of safety belts for each seat, which contributes to maintaining the stability of students in their seats in the event of a stop. Suddenly the vehicle and keeps them safe from falling or being hurt.

He said, "The Federal Traffic and Traffic Law violates anyone who transports passengers whose number exceeds the prescribed number by impounding the vehicle, and the driver is fined 500 dirhams, in addition to four traffic points.

A fine of Dh1,000 for transporting passengers in a non-designated vehicle, and four traffic points.

A traffic officer in a private school in the Emirate of Fujairah said that some parents do not realize the danger of students congesting the transport bus, regardless of its low cost and saving part of the expenses.

He added that the student alone pays the price for this choice, especially since some drivers are indifferent and do not accompany the student while he is crossing the road in front of the school or when he stands for a long time while carrying his bag until the number of students is completed while leaving the school.

Parents of students transporting their children by minibus drivers were justified by their choice of unaccredited companies, the low cost, and the remoteness of the residential areas from the school.

Abdullah Al Zaabi, from the city of Kalba, in the Emirate of Sharjah, rejected this view.

He said that the safest means of transportation for students is school buses, given the availability of security and safety means in them, in addition to the fact that the student's responsibility will be in a safe hand and monitored by cameras, which prevents any harm to students, unlike private means of transportation whose owners are usually reckless, and do not care about laws. Traffic, and their first and last concern is financial profit only.

Drivers Employment Standards

An official in a private company that provides transportation services for students by school buses confirmed that the company is currently using a "visiting" driver, pointing out that there are no standards related to the employment of drivers.

He added that it is putting him under a practical test, and if he proves his competence, it will amend his legal status.

Another company confirmed that there were no criteria other than knowledge of roads and driving skills.

She said that the system followed by her includes that the number of students from each region is not less than 10 students.

She added that she prefers that each family have three students, at a minimum, to facilitate the task of the bus driver.

The requirements of school buses stipulate the presence of safety belts to prevent students from falling or bumping in the event of a traffic accident.

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