Students' families considered it too short and asked for it to be extended

60 seconds is the maximum waiting time for late students

Drivers' punctuality does not allow them to wait more than two minutes.

Photography: Ahmed Arditi

Families of students in private schools in the Northern Emirates said that they are forced to chase school buses after they leave in front of the buildings they live in, as a result of their children not getting off in time to go to school, pointing out that the period spent by buses waiting for late students is very short.

School administrations responded that they adopt a maximum of 60 seconds for the bus driver to wait in front of the student's residence after the supervisor called his family by phone to make sure he got off. If the phone is not answered and the student exceeds the specified time, the driver goes to another student.

In detail, the parents of the students, Majed Ibrahim, Tayseer Al-Hinnawi and Atef Fawzy, saw that the delay in getting their children off at the specified time for the school buses in the morning is due to normal reasons, such as late sleep, eating breakfast and wearing clothes, or not arranging books and supplies according to the schedule of classes inside the bags. .

They pointed out that some bus drivers refuse to wait for the student in front of his house for more than a minute.

They added that if the supervisor calls the student's mother and does not receive a response, the driver decides to go, and the chase for the school bus has begun by calling the supervisor, agreeing on a specific place to stop, such as a petrol station, and waiting for the student to be transferred from his father's car to the bus.

They explained that some drivers refuse to stop anywhere under the pretext that there is not enough time, or because their path is monitored through smart systems from school administrations, which forces them to drive their children to schools and be late for their workplaces, pointing out that school administrations must understand the reason for the delay of some students, and grant Drivers are empowered to stop in some public places to pick up students from their families if they are late in the morning for the school buses.

On the other hand, school administrations explained to «Emirates Today» that the school bus driver is obliged to wait for the student for a period not exceeding 60 seconds in front of his house, after the supervisor contacted his family to ensure that he got off.

She said, "If a student is late and exceeds the specified time, the bus is allowed to move to another student."

And she indicated that she addresses the students' families in the event that he is more than once late for getting off at the specified time, and repeatedly waiting for the school bus for him in front of his house, to inform them of the need to adhere to the bus's arrival time.

She added, "The time specified for waiting for the bus is exclusively for emergency cases, because the driver cannot wait for each student for two minutes in order to bring him to school, otherwise the students on the bus will be more than an hour late for the start of school hours."

She pointed out that "some of the students' families put their phones on silent mode, and this is the reason why they did not answer the supervisor's call."

And she continued, “Following the students’ families with the school bus drivers to meet them on the public road for the student to board the bus is fraught with traffic risks, and may lead to the bus being late for its arrival time, so it is up to the bus driver to estimate the situation, but he is not obligated to stop on the public roads to take any student from a vehicle.” his relatives.”

If the supervisor's call is not answered and the waiting time is exceeded, the bus driver will go to another student.

Waiting two minutes for each student causes the bus to be more than an hour late for school hours.

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