Parents of students encourage public transportation as an alternative to school transportation

The students’ families said that public transportation could be one of the options for school students as a means of transportation between home and school, in light of the high cost of school transportation fees, which start at 6 thousand dirhams annually to reach 20 and 30 thousand dirhams in some schools, according to the monitoring conducted by “Emirates Today”. And this is at a time when the value of transportation by public transportation may not exceed 10 dirhams per day, over the course of 185 school days, which constitute the total number of days students attend school annually, i.e. at a cost of 1850 dirhams annually.

Securing fees for school transportation services and the process of children’s arrival to their schools is a major source of concern for the vast majority of families, in terms of providing the financial resources required to pay bus fees on the one hand, and ensuring students’ comfort during the journey between school and home, which surveys have always revealed is a long and tiring journey. After a busy school day.  

And "Emirates Today" conducted a survey on its digital platforms about the possibility of benefiting from the existence of an advanced network of public transport lines that covers the vast majority of residential neighborhoods in Dubai, with the availability of multiple options of these means, in response to the continued complaints of parents about the costs of school transportation and the troubles of the trip on the bus. scholastic.

The results of the survey, which was conducted on the newspaper's digital platforms, revealed the support of 59.6% of its participants for the idea of ​​students relying on public transportation to move between home and school. Developing their personalities as well as contributing to alleviating traffic congestion and its negative effects on the environment.

A number of parents spoke to "Emirates Today" about their opinion on their children's use of public transportation to reach their schools, especially for the age groups who are able to use them independently. 

Citizen Mona Saeed told "Emirates Today" that she encourages her children to use mass transportation, and that she is convinced that it is an economic means of transportation, especially in light of the high living costs, of which school transportation fees have always been one of the most important for students' families.

And she added that she also encourages them to use public buses to entrench in their minds the importance of its role in teaching them to follow healthy practices and habits such as walking or cycling to reach public transportation stations, pointing out that this does not find the same resonance with all children.

She pointed out that her eldest son does not like walking and movement, so he does not respond to her encouragement, at a time when his younger brother, who is 14 years old, prefers to rely on himself, and loves to make her feel that he is responsible and that he can move around on his own. 

And she added that it is logical and useful to teach children from an early age to use public transportation, especially since they use all means of mass transportation on travel trips, as they feel the desire to explore and learn through roaming and walking. 

A guardian told Emirates Today that students' use of public buses to get to and from school reduces the financial burden and costs on the family, and also has environmental benefits, as it contributes to alleviating traffic congestion caused by the density of private vehicles and school buses in the streets surrounding school areas. Adding that this also saves a lot of effort and time for parents who have to drive their children with their own vehicles.

He added that the use of public transportation for students also helps them practice healthy habits and encourages them to enjoy nature. 

One of the mothers considered that the dependence of children on public transportation to get to school is an important factor in introducing them to life outside the family framework and that it gives them the opportunity to integrate with other groups of society that belong to different cultures, which will reflect positively on their personality and increase their knowledge. It enhances their self-confidence, as long as they are always under the supervision and follow-up of their families.

On the other hand, parents saw that the students' use of public transportation to go to school is sound in principle and beneficial for health and behavior, but it raises concerns among them that their children may not be able to behave properly when they mix with strangers from school and home. 

For his part, Abdullah Abdul Rahman, Director of Operations in the Dubai and Sharjah regions at Emirates Transport, confirmed that public transportation in the country enjoys all the positive elements because most of them are of high quality and are characterized by luxury as well as being safe, as they are subject to legislation, services and a work culture whose main objective is Customer happiness. 

Abdul Rahman told "Emirates Today" that mass transportation services in the country are characterized by integration, because they are well planned, contributing, assisting and enhancing mobility easily and comfortably using public transportation.

He continued that they enjoy luxury, as most of them are of high quality and are characterized by luxury, in addition to being safe because they are subject to legislation, services and a work culture whose main goal is to make the customer happy. 

He stressed that there are a number of infrastructure elements that contributed to the provision of distinguished and high-quality transport services, such as the presence of a wide road network with multiple options that facilitate the process of planning for movement, walking and shortening distances, in addition to harmony in work and provision of services between all competent authorities in the transportation sector, and support agencies. security for the success of transport and public transportation projects.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news