Dubai’s RTA caps number of students in school buses; introduces safety measures for school transport service

Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority’s (RTA) Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC) has capped the number of students that will ride in school buses, as part of a wider set of precautionary measures introduced for school transport services ahead of the new academic year.

Students travelling in school buses will not exceed 50 per cent of the total bus capacity, while having their temperature checked prior to boarding the bus.

“The precautionary measures we have taken aimed to revive the confidence of parents in our handling of their children using our school transport services. The Dubai Taxi Corporation has taken extensive safety measures to protect students against the risks of catching Covid-19. Measures taken include the scheduling of bus sanitisation time such that it would take place before and after the embarkation/disembarkation of students. They also include setting a cap on the number of students on board each bus such that it would be 50 per cent only of the total bus capacity, and scanning the temperature of each student before boarding the bus,” said Marwan Al Zarooni, director of operations and commercial affairs, Dubai Taxi Corporation.

“DTC’s school transport service has 18,608 registered students who are served by a fleet of more than 400 smart buses. About 21 schools in Dubai have signed up with DTC. Such numbers reflect the high satisfaction of clients with our excellent mobility services. The success of the services is also attributable to the hand-picked 408 drivers hired for the school transport service who were trained on the skills of driving smart buses. About 129 lady attendants were also employed and trained in caring for students of various age groups. They have also attended training on the handling of emergencies, and were certified by the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services on First Aid and other disciplines to ensure the provision of exceptional service to students,” continued Al Zarooni.

“The school buses are fitted with hi-tech devices for monitoring and tracking both buses and students, and accordingly improve the security and safety of the service. Devices include cameras, sensors to ensure no student is left behind in the bus, emergency button to communicate with the control centre, GPS-based electronic tracking system, Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) system, and engine self-extinguishing system. All these features have been selected to conform to the highest global safety standards,” he added.

Parents must visit the website to register for the service, or update their details.  Through this portal, parents can track the movement of the bus and students, as well as track the pick-up and drop-off points.

In a similar move to safeguard the safety of children attending schools, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) issued 100-plus protocols for the re-opening of private schools across the emirate in September this year.

Read: KHDA issues list of protocols for reopening of private schools in Dubai

Moreover, an AI-powered mobile app designed to equip schools to meet Covid-19 safety protocols has also been launched.

Read more: New AI-based mobile app Wai-Eye to assist schools in Covid-19 compliance

Also read: Private schools in Dubai can opt for a suitable teaching approach