The Department of Transport (DoT) in Abu Dhabi is set to introduce new reforms for school travel aimed at improving the quality of school transport by reducing the proportion of private vehicles doing school runs.

Due to various reasons related to school buses comfort and quality, and increased car ownership in Abu Dhabi, among other factors, school buses have become less popular as the preferred mode for commuting to and from school, a statement said.

Consequently, private vehicles have become the predominant means of school transport, leading to increased traffic congestion, accidents, pollution and overcrowding at school gates, it added.

“The traffic congestion on our roads has dire consequences on our wellbeing and the environment; we believe that the new school travel reforms initiative in coordination with Abu Dhabi Education Council will yield significant benefits for ourselves, our local economy and the environment at large,” said Hashim Al Hashimi, the public transport director at DoT in Abu Dhabi.

DoT is still at the planning stage of the reform initiative and the priority for now is to identify and tackle negative concerns about commuting in school buses.

Apart from comfort and quality issues, other practical concerns such as the weight of school bags have been identified.

“We will strive to address all these issues in the new reforms to ensure that we have a safe, viable, and environmentally sustainable way of school transport,” Al Hashimi added.

As part of the planning process for school transport reforms, DoT will consider opportunities for shared transportation among schools, as well as options for quality and safety in the new school buses to be introduced.

In addition, the planning process will also help define the roles and responsibilities of all our strategic partners and stakeholders before the reforms will take effect.

“Feedback from our strategic partners and stakeholders will be taken into consideration, from students; parents; schools; bus operators; drivers; Abu Dhabi Police; Abu Dhabi Education Council; as well as the Urban Planning Council; their roles in making this initiative successful will be clearly defined and communicated,” Al Hashimi added. – TradeArabia News Service