Pros & Cons of Hiring a School Bus Service in Dubai
Parents from a number of UAE schools are frustrated at the length of time their children are expected to spend on a bus. Many schools were forced to conduct education remotely during the pandemic, resulting in fewer school bus drivers. With schools returning to the classroom, demand has returned, but there are not enough drivers to fill it.
Many students are returning to school in buses after several terms of distance learning. Delays are now normal in the first few days due to increased traffic on the roads and extra student demand at the start of the new term.
Concern of Parents
One Dubai parent was upset that her 5 year-old son would be traveling for two hours to school from their home in Arabian Ranches 1. She assumed the school would have set out guidance on travel time prior to signing a commercial contract with the transport company, but this has not happened. Parents of children at Ignite School are concerned that the short distance from home to school will take between 60-90 minutes to travel.
The Ignite mum had experienced similar problems with GEMS Education transportation, and had to fight to get her pre-paid fees returned when the bus service was canceled due to Covid-19. Senior management at GEMS Education are working with STS, our dedicated school transport provider, to resolve issues with bus services. Parents will be kept informed and we look forward to all services running to their usual high standard very swiftly.
Due to these reasons, parents are now hiring safe drivers for the whole month that pick and drop the children from school to home and vice versa. One working parent is frustrated by a service on which she needs to rely in order to work. Her son spends more than 1hr 20 minutes on his return journey and there are still other children left on the bus to be dropped home. Kent College Dubai has seen an exponential growth in new enrolments, and as such, the bus service has changed 10 times over the last two weeks. The bus schedule can only be fine-tuned once it is actually being used in live time.
School Bus Transportation – Major Pros
In the UAE, it’s all too easy to go from our homes to our cars to our schools, barely taking a step. For children who will be sitting for most of the day in lessons, taking the bus to school at the very least involves walking to the bus stop. Plus, it has some more benefits too.
It’s Social
It’s fun to ride to school with friends! Additionally, school bus riders have the opportunity to interact with children of different ages. You’d be surprised how protective the bigger kids are of the little ones, and how much the little ones enjoy talking to the older kids. This builds their self-esteem and their social skills.
Independence Fostered
From an early age, children learn self-reliance by getting on the right bus at the right time with all of their bags, snacks, and school supplies.
A Greener UAE
Air pollution is dramatically reduced when you take the bus. By taking the bus, you are helping us breathe cleaner air because buses emit fewer pollutants per kilometer than cars.
Communal Benefits
There are fewer cars on the road when more children are on the bus. There will be less traffic, lower emissions, and safer roads around the schools for drop-offs and pick-ups. Your choice to use school transportation can have a positive impact on many others.
Better Harmony
Each school day begins with a
race against time for many families. Racing to get the kids up, dressed, fed, and in the car before rush hour traffic hits, racing to get to school before the drop-off crush, and racing back to work or whatever other appointments you have. Suppose all that stress and responsibility falls on someone else during a school day. Better mornings, less stress for parents, happier families.
School Bus Transportation – Major Cons
School buses are a convenient and reliable way for parents to transport their children to and from school. School buses are convenient, easy to access, and comfortable to commute in. While they have some basic safety drawbacks, Maintaining a pick-up and drop-off routine can be exhausting for schools as well as parents. Therefore hiring a school pickup and drop off driver is recommended by experts.
The number of children opting for school buses has increased 2X over the past 20 years. There is a concern that the trend is contributing to traffic congestion and the number of students getting admitted to schools that take more than 1 hour of commute every day. This increases the carbon footprint, traffic congestion, and air pollution. Comparatively the percentage of the unhappy passenger with in-vehicle time seems to be lesser in comparison to the scale of traffic woes. This can be attributed to passengers being used to the existing situation for a long time.
Many parents that have concerns about their kids’ safety are choosing drivers in Dubai that use their own cars for school convenience. There are four major safety drawbacks associated with school bus transportation, and their solutions are listed below:
Rush at The Time of Boarding & Deboarding
Not only kids but adults also experience problems at the time of entering and exiting the bus. For kids, getting on and off the bus in a rush can be dangerous; standing too close to the bus can cause severe injuries. Kids like predictability. School is predictable but the bus ride is unpredictable. Walking can have a positive effect on a child’s emotional well-being. It can encourage independence, road sense, and also an opportunity to chat with friends.
Lack of Safety Measures
Most school buses do not have the necessary safety measures in case they are exposed to a dangerous situation. Seat belts are essential for safe transportation. As well as ensuring safety, it also provides protection from a variety of injuries. Seat belts have been made mandatory for car users by the government. However, school buses do not have seat belts, which is the major safety drawback of the school transportation system, which is the safest transportation option for school students.
Danger of Accidents
Although there are rare cases of accidents caused by school buses or school buses being in an accident, it is not always guaranteed that school buses are safe from such road traffic accidents. Almost all of us have seen high-speed school buses on streets, main roads, highways and flyovers. Students’ safety is not a priority for bus drivers. The extreme results of over speeding are generally overlooked by them.
Higher Expenses
If you have several children in the same school, if a discount is not included, the cost of several of them may be greater than compared to using the car. Before making any decision, it is also recommended to make a comparison in terms of expenses, in addition to comparing various school transport alternatives to choose the best for your children. Hire a monthly safe driver and save the expenses of sending your children through buses.