Manal Ismail

Dubai, Apr 12 (TheNational): New policies for regulating school buses will be announced this summer, officials from the Abu Dhabi Department of Transport (DoT) said yesterday at an international exhibition on public transport.

Speaking outside the UITP (International Association of Public Transport) World Congress, Saeed al Hameli, general manager of the Bus Office at the DoT, said the department was collaborating with the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Council (Adnec) to standardise policies for all school buses in the emirate, whether public or private.

Safety measures in terms of aspects such as speed management and the type of fuel used, as well as security measures such as the use of seat belts, installation of cameras to monitor on-board activity and the employment of school bus supervisors, would be considered.

Standardised branding, which will allow other drivers to visually identify school buses, was also possible, Mr al Hameli said.

"Any school that hires a bus will have to follow our regulations in order to receive approval to operate the bus," he said. "We are doing this as an important step to ensure the safety of our loved ones."

In January, officials from the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma) said a law would be proposed to standardise school bus safety across the country.

While all public buses in the country are provided by Emirates Transport and follow the same standards, private school buses in the capital are managed by their providers.

The results of the DoT and Adnec policy study would be announced in June, Mr al Hameli said.