With the beginning of a new school year in the UAE, the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) of the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) in Abu Dhabi has announced various precautionary and prevention measures to be followed by drivers, operators, supervisors and students to ensure the safety of the school transport sector and the public during the pandemic circumstances.

The safety guidelines have been prepared by the ITC's School Transport Team in coordination with the concerned stakeholder with the aim to contain the spread of COVID-19 virus or any other contagious diseases among the public. Furthermore, it will ensure that school transport operators comply with the essential safety measurements approved by the ITC, which particularly include the sterilisation and preparation of the buses ahead of the start of the new academic year. These safety procedures will also assist in generating more awareness among bus operators and other concerned entities about the necessary safety and preventive measures to be followed to control the virus spread.

According to the guidelines, it is mandatory for drivers and supervisors to obtain a negative COVID-19 test certificate within 14 days of starting their service. Drivers and supervisors are required to wear face masks and gloves all the time. Furthermore, they should also undergo regular health checks. If they feel sick while performing their services, they are required to immediately inform their manager and visit the nearest hospital. It is their responsibility to ensure physical distancing between students and to make them at least 6 feet apart from each other. Signs have been placed on the seats that are required to be kept vacant to maintain physical distancing.

In addition, the temperature of the students has to be checked before they board the bus and windows have to be kept open for proper ventilation after every trip. Food and water must not be distributed among the students on the bus. Drivers and supervisors must also ensure consistent sterilization of surfaces that are touched regularly. Adequate training has to be provided to all drivers and supervisors such that they are able to carefully handle the students who develop symptoms of the disease. They should also be able to educate the students about the risks of COVID-19.

As part of the safety procedures, bus operators must be fully equipped with necessary preventive and precautionary tools such as a thermometer and PPE including face masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer.

Operators are also required to organise training and awareness programmes for all employees working for school transportation such that they are well qualified to take care of the children and the public. They also have to ensure daily temperature checks of the drivers and supervisors before the start of their work shift.

Buses have to be equipped with plastic isolators between the driver and the students. Operators have to ensure that their buses are used at half of their capacity should be sterilised regularly during and after every trip. On each bus, driver has to ensure that they are opening and closing the door automatically.

COVID-19 awareness signs have been to be placed inside the buses by the operators and to ensure physical distancing between students at every assembly point. A reporting process has to be created by the operators to inform the ITC, school and concerned stakeholders about any confirmed COVID-19 cases among students, supervisors or drivers.

Operators also have to ensure that the number of trips between schools and students’ houses is increased and distributed at different timing in accordance with the instructions issued by the Ministry of Education and the Department of Education and Knowledge.

Inside the buses, students must wear face masks all the time, except those children below the age of 6. They must sit at designated places or according to the instructions issued by the driver or supervisor. Children are required to sanitise hands before and after boarding the bus and to avoid shaking hands with each other. They must immediately inform the supervisor or driver in any case they are feeling sick or fatigue.

Schools have to ensure that supervisors and drivers present a COVID-19 negative certificate before starting their service and renew it whenever needed. In addition, schools are also required to provide an adequate number of buses to transport all students, in view of the physical distancing norms. Schools must also ensure that the buses are equipped with thermometers and students' temperature is being regularly checked before they board the bus. Students must also be offered masks, gloves, and hand sanitisers for their safety.

It is also essential for schools for organise awareness workshops to foster understanding among student about the risks related to COVID-19 and ways to prevent its spread. Schools are required to get the parents to sign a pledge declaring that they will teach their children about the risks involved with Coronavirus and preventive measures to be followed for safety. Schools must ensure that students are following physical distancing norms in the buses and there is a seat vacant between each student. It is important to note that any student with disease symptoms will not be allowed to use the bus.

Drivers and supervisors are get their temperature checked every day before the start of their work shift which will be further registered in Al Hosn Application. Safety procedures also contain details related to the issuing of new permits and renewing of expired permits for drivers and supervisors in case they were out of the UAE during the lockdown period.

Taking note of the start of the new academic year, these safety norms have been prepared to ensure complete safety and wellbeing of the school transport users that in 2019 was recorded at 405,000 students, 4,900 supervisors and 7,625 drivers

Amid the pandemic fear, ITC has instructed school bus operators to coordinate with the academic institutions to properly sterilise all 7625 school buses which have been providing services to around 690 public and private schools and nurseries. The school buses work under the supervision of ITC’s School Transport Team which will monitor that preventive measures are being strictly followed in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and ensure the health and safety and of the students.

These safety procedures have been shared with all the concerned entities such that they are diligently followed by all stakeholders in the school transport sector and the safety of the students and employees is maintained during these challenging times.

There have been many workshops conducted by the ITC to generate awareness about the preventive measures and sterilising process. These workshops were attended by more than 160 operators in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi who discussed and addressed various measures to ensure public safety. 

WAM