Dubai: Last year, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai discovered that some school bus drivers and transport attendants were working without the necessary permits to transport students.
Between July and December of 2023, the RTA informed Khaleej Times on Friday that it carried out a total of 6,323 inspections of school buses.
Although the number of infractions committed by school transportation providers was not disclosed by the transportation authority, the following were frequently observed: transporting students to school without a permit; unlicensed drivers operating school buses; disregarding the seat technical specifications approved by RTA; non-compliance with approved technical specifications for the appearance of school buses’ interiors and exteriors.
The absence of a fire extinguisher, a GPS tracking system, and cameras inside the bus were also found to be violations of other safety rules, according to the RTA.
Regarding the permit, a school bus driver should, in addition to possessing a valid UAE driving license, obtain a permit from the RTA in the same class as the driving license.
The driver must successfully complete the required training and pass a test administered by the RTA’s Public Transport Agency in order to obtain the permit.
The driver ought not be under 25 years of age, will be of acceptable conduct and will not have any lawbreaker record.
A traffic points report from the authorities and a medical fitness certificate from a medical center approved by the RTA must be submitted by the driver. Drivers of limousines and taxis need the same permit.
RTA requires bus aides and school transport attendants to obtain a work permit as well. He or she must act in a morally upright manner; at the very least 25 years of age; must pass the RTA-approved tests and be medically fit.
Buses that transport: require a female supervisor. female students through high school, and male students through fifth grade.
Since September 2022, the RTA has made it easier for professional passenger transport drivers to get permits by making them available immediately. This eliminates the previous 24-hour waiting period for approval.
Safety requirements The RTA also noted the technical requirements for bus seats and other safety features, such as the presence of three meeting points on the driver’s seat and two meeting points on all passenger seats that are exposed from the front, such as the front seats and the middle seat from the last seats.
The bus’s interior and exterior should not have any sharp edges at all. To know where the school bus is and where it is going, it must have an electronic tracking system or GPS.
In the event of sudden stops, accidents, or the regular movement of the bus, designated locations for bags must be provided so that they do not impede students’ movement and they must be secured so that they do not fall on students.
Standards for bus safety include a speed limit of 80 kilometers per hour and the installation of a speed control device in accordance with the conditions and specifications approved by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology.
The supplies in the first aid box should be proportional to the number of seats. A fire extinguisher with a capacity of six kilograms that can put out any kind of fire must be present. Buses with fewer than 50 seats require one fire extinguisher, while buses with more than 50 seats require two.
The bus must have emergency exits proportional to the number of passengers, with at least one emergency exit on each side, and its lifespan must not exceed 15 years from the date of manufacture.
The words “School Bus” in Arabic and English must be written in black on the yellow bus without any other color overlapping. Regular inspections carried out The RTA stated that they carry out intensive inspection campaigns at all educational facilities at the beginning of each semester. The letters must be written at a height of at least 8 inches or 20 centimeters, and they must be written between the upper warning lights or in the highest place possible on the front and back of the bus and in the middle of the sides.
Based on plans for regular inspections, school buses are inspected whenever they are observed in the field. People who don’t follow the rules and laws get in trouble, and periodic reports are sent to the Planning and Business Development Department so they can take the necessary steps,” RTA said.
After the inspection campaign is over, educational facilities that broke the rules are checked again to see if they are still in compliance, and periodic reports are sent in.
