Dubai’s RTA begins inspection campaign, buses of 286 schools and nurseries to be checked

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is running an inspection campaign, covering buses of 286 schools and nurseries in Dubai.

RTA’s Passenger Transport Activities Monitoring Department will embark on the inspections from the start of the new academic year 2022-2023.

.@rta_dubai inspects buses of 286 schools & nurseries this September as a part of RTA’s standing commitment to streamlining the school transport practices & implementing preventive measures to curb the spread of the Covid19 pandemic while lifting studentshttps://t.co/RB4JrzMork pic.twitter.com/klLgdXjgvw

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) August 29, 2022

The move is to streamline school transport practices, verify the compliance of operators with the regulations in place, and implement preventive measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 while lifting students.

RTA said that visits to schools would be based on an analysis of data captured from schools in terms of the number of violations reported during the previous academic year 2021-2022 through a smart inspection system.

The inspection of school buses covers the security and safety of buses, permits for drivers and attendants along with their compliance with the assigned tasks and the cleanliness of buses.

Field inspectors will carry out periodic safety inspections on school buses to ensure their compliance with specifications and the fulfilment of the requirements of the school bus transport services.

RTA has set safety standards for operating school buses such as setting a cap on the speed limit of buses such that they do not exceed 80 kilometres per hour. Each bus has to have a speed control device compatible with the standards of the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology.

Each bus has to contain a first aid kit the contents of which must conform to the number of seats. It should have a six-kilogramme fire extinguisher dedicated to extinguishing all types of fires and placed in a designated place near the driver’s seat and a sign should indicate its position.

All models of buses designated for transporting students must not be older than 15 years from the date of manufacture. Each bus must have emergency exits commensurate with the number of passengers, with at least one emergency exit on each side, excluding the exit or the driver’s door which are not classified as emergency exit doors.

All school buses must be subjected to an electronic GPS tracking system enabling identifying the locations of buses. Safety belts with double hooks must be fitted to all seats exposed from the front, such as the front seats and the middle seat of the last seats. Finally, the driver’s seat must have triple hooks. To prevent accidents for students inside and outside the bus, all internal and external parts of the bus must not have sharp edges.

In recent news, RTA has announced that 55 per cent of the construction had been completed on the Falcon Interchange Improvement Project situated between Al Khaleej Street, Khalid bin Al Waleed Street and Al Ghubaiba Street.

Read: Dubai’s RTA completes 55% of construction on Falcon Interchange project