After a long summer break, schools all over the UAE are set to reopen on Monday, August 26. It means change of routines for students as well as parents as they return to ‘school mode’ after the holidays.
And while some parents prefer to drop off and pick up their children from schools, most make use of the school bus. There are certain safety regulations which parents, students, drivers, attendants and schools should remember. While they are not new and has been in place, there is no harm in brushing up on the rules.
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Here’s a simple guide for students, parents, drivers, attendants and schools:
Students and parents
- Parents should ensure that their child arrives at the designated bus stop on time.
- Parents must inform the bus driver and attendant if there is a delay or in case of absenteeism.
- Students should board their allotted buses.
- Students must enter and exit the bus in a single queue and should not push or cause any disturbance to other students.
- Students should not bring their parents or outsiders in the school bus.
- Students must follow the instructions of the driver and the attendant in case of any emergency.
- Students should remain seated in the bus during the commute and must not leave their allotted seats without permission from the attendant.
- Students must not leave the bus without the driver and the attendant’s consent.
- Students should not eat and drink inside the bus.
- Students should not peep outside the window of the bus.
Drivers
- They should wear their uniform and seat belt at all times when inside the bus.
- They must be fluent in English as well as Arabic.
- They should pick up and drop students only at their designated bus stops.
- They should not overload the bus with passengers more than capacity.
- They should not drive beyond the maximum speed limit of 80kmph.
- They should have a first aid box inside the bus.
- They should not drive under the influence of alcohol.
- They should not smoke inside the bus.
Schools
- Schools must ensure that the bus is painted yellow with the words ‘School Bus’ inscribed in English and Arabic.
- Schools should assign attendants to monitor the students inside the bus.
- Institutions must ensure there is proper air-conditioning inside the bus.
- Schools must ensure that GPS is implemented on every bus.
- They must monitor school buses using CCTV cameras.
- Schools must inspect the bus for cleanliness.
- Institutions must ensure there are no bars on the windows of buses.
- Schools must ensure that the buses have proper emergency exits.
- Institutions must place a fire extinguisher for 10-meter long buses; in case of buses longer than 10 meters, two fire extinguishers are a must.