As part of RAKTA’s endeavor to ensure the safety of students using school buses, the security and safety team carried out a number of inspection campaigns on school buses in many schools in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah to determine the extent to which the operators comply with the applicable requirements in this activity and to ensure the application of precautionary measures during the transfer of students.
The inspection campaigns come within the framework of pre-established plans to monitor the mechanism of school buses in the emirate and the extent of their compliance with the legislation and laws regulating the work of these buses, in addition to providing a distinguished service to transport school students safely and encouraging parents to use school buses instead of private vehicles.
RAKTA also pays great attention to the school transport activity by providing intensive training programs, as the authority has provided the smart “Al Bosala” application to train and qualify drivers and supervisors, In addition to the permanent and continuous inspection throughout the academic year by the security and safety team and the inspectors of the Quality Control Department to ensure safe access for students during daily commuting trips.
It is worth noting that school buses are subject to many requirements that must be met, such as limiting the maximum speed of the bus to not exceeding (80 km) per hour, by installing speed control devices in accordance with the conditions and standard specifications approved by the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology, in addition to the availability of fire extinguishers and periodic maintenance. The bus must be no more than (15) years old from the date of manufacture, and the bus must include emergency exits, provided that clear indicators for emergency exits are installed, and that there are no obstacles in front of these exits that impede movement when used in emergency situations, and safety belts with two points of convergence are provided on all the passenger seats exposed from the front, such as the front seats and the middle seat of the last seats, with three points of convergence on the driver’s seat, in addition to removing any sharp edges around the internal and external bus, and subjecting all school transport buses to the GPS electronic tracking system, which allows the possibility of knowing the location and location of the school bus.
