New rules notified to make school buses safer in Oman

Muscat: The Ministry of Education has issued new rules under the School Transportation Regulations, which now includes automatic tracking devices for buses.
The Ministry said in the decision, “If the Directorate requests it, the driver of the vehicle must commit to installing an automatic system on a bus. He must not tamper with it, disable it, or move it from its designated location. The driver must also install an electronic display board on the bus, with the school data and contact phone number.”
“The bus must meet the safety and security conditions specified by the Ministry, the bus insurance must be valid and comprehensive for passengers, its capacity must be appropriate to the number of students and the bus production date must not be over 12 years,” the Ministry added.
According to the decision, the bus driver must also commit to employing female leaders on the bus for school students from grades 1-4. Article 5 of the decision also said, “The school administration determines the student assembly points.”
Recently, Royal Oman Police (ROP) had launched a media campaign to ensure the safety of students travelling in school buses, especially to prevent the problem of children being left behind in vehicles.
In order to avoid any suffocation-related incidents, the ROP also urged bus drivers to make sure that no child is left behind in the bus at the end of trips to and from their homes.