Abu Dhabi bans school minibuses
Lack of safety cited as the case of ban
Minibuses will be phased out for use by schools in Abu Dhabi after the School Transport Committee Abu Dhabi (STCAD) recently announced that the vehicles are not appropriately safe for use by children.
According to local daily The National, STCAD said minibuses “lack safety and security standards and violate school transport requirements and regulations.”
Minibuses and microbuses can no longer be registered as school transport vehicles after this school term, the report added.
“The committee also urges the concerned parties to take all the necessary measures against violators of these instructions,” STCAD said.
The use of minibuses for school transport was banned in Dubai earlier this year, and transport providers were given 18 months to phase out their use. STCAD has not mentioned if a similar duration will be given to transport operators in Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi’s transport department had announced a set of new transport safety rules for school buses in April 2014. Some measures at the time included the installation of GPS and CCTV devices in school buses; setting a speed limit of 80kph for the vehicle; and the provision of attendants for children aged 11 and younger, the report continued.
