Coronavirus: How school buses in Dubai will keep kids safe

Dubai - RTA will take measures against operators that fail to comply with precautionary measures.

With campus reopening just around the corner, school bus operators in Dubai are reminded of the safety measures they have to follow, from assisting kids as they board the buses to marking students' seats appropriately.   
Some 120 representatives of school bus operators recently attended a virtual workshop conducted by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). Officials explained the rules, which include the 50 per cent maximum capacity; daily temperature checks for both staff and student; full sanitation of the bus before use; and setting a course of action for students with suspected Covid-19 symptoms. 
Best practices were also discussed. Female attendants assisting kids as they board buses shall try their best to avoid touching the students or their belongings. 
Bus seating arrangement should be clearly marked and easy to understand so that the same students are seated in the same seats every day. Siblings may be allowed to sit together. 
In case there are common card readers on the buses, an alternative mechanism shall be devised in order to avoid a common touch point. 

Operators shall ensure there is enhanced cleaning of seats and other high-contact surfaces (e.g., windows, railings) before each new group of students gets on board. Pick-up and drop-off should be staggered, where possible, to avoid crowding at the school entrance. 
"The RTA's Public Transport Agency is committed to making every effort to safeguard the safety of students during their mobility to and from schools. The holding of this workshop echoes our leaders' directives to implement comprehensive precautionary measures to cope with the outbreak of Covid-19 across all sectors, the school transport sector included,"  said Adel Shakri, director of planning and business development for the Public Transport Agency of the RTA.
More than 153,000 private school students and 21,000 from public schools use school buses in the emirate. Some 6,732 buses are operated in Dubai. 
 "A document of standard operating procedures (SOPs) is to be submitted electronically to RTA as a one-time exercise. In case there are any major gaps, the RTA team will contact the operator concerned for corrective actions immediately," Shakri said.  
"RTA will take measures against parties that fail to comply with the applicable precautionary measures as part of its responsibility to protect students from potential hazards of the pandemic."
reporters@khaleejtimes.com 
 

• Dubai