Student safety first: Abu Dhabi puts full responsibility on schools

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) has confirmed that schools must provide school transport services for their students, either directly or through external operators appointed by them.

Schools must also provide any necessary support, assistance and related services to students with additional educational needs to enable them to benefit from school bus services.

In exceptional cases where school transport cannot be provided for individual students, the school must request an exemption from the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC).

Schools required to provide safe school transport and support students of determination, with full accountability

In its School Transport Policy Guide, published through its digital channels, ADEK stated that all school transport operators and personnel must comply with the requirements of the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) set out in the Executive Regulations governing school transport services in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, as well as the Abu Dhabi Guidelines for Regulating School Bus Traffic issued by the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council.

ADEK stressed that schools bear full responsibility for the safety of all students and individuals on board school buses throughout the journey, even when schools outsource transport services to third-party operators.

Meanwhile, the Integrated Transport Centre, Abu Dhabi Mobility, the authority responsible for regulating transport in Abu Dhabi, including school buses, and affiliated with the Department of Municipalities and Transport, confirmed that the Executive Regulations governing school transport services in the emirate specify 56 types of violations related to school buses.

These include nine violations applicable to schools, 24 violations applicable to operators, 12 violations applicable to drivers, and 11 violations applicable to bus supervisors.

Penalties range from written warnings to fines starting at Dh100 for a first offence and rising, in certain cases, to Dh200,000 for repeated violations.

Violators are given five working days to rectify the violation. Failure to do so will result in the violation being recorded again, with the more severe penalty applied.

Failure to provide a sufficient number of buses: A written warning for the first violation and an Dh20,000 fine for repetition.

Failure to appoint a school transport officer: A written warning initially, followed by an Dh5,000 fine for repetition.

Failure to provide a bus supervisor for every bus carrying students under the age of 11: An Dh5,000 fine, rising to Dh10,000 for repetition.

Carrying out any bus maintenance work on school premises: A written warning initially and an Dh10,000 fine for repetition.

Failure to designate a person to receive students returned to school after they cannot be delivered to their parents or guardians: An Dh10,000 fine, rising to Dh20,000 for repetition.