The duration of Dubai school bus service has been limited; maximum 45 to 60 minutes

The UAE Minister of Education announced that the duration of school bus commutes in Dubai and across the UAE will now be limited to 45 to 60 minutes. This decision was made following complaints from parents about the long duration of school bus commutes.

During a session of the UAE Federal National Council, Naeema Abdullah Al-Sharhan referred to the issue of long school bus routes. Some students spend more than two hours daily on school buses, raising concerns about their health and fatigue.

Sara Al-Amiri, the UAE Minister of Education, in response to these complaints, stated that the maximum allowable commute time for kindergarten students is set at 45 minutes and for other students at 60 minutes. She added that the Ministry of Education has not recorded any evidence of official routes exceeding two hours.

Al-Amiri announced that the compliance rate with the time limit in the first semester of the current academic year has reached 98.5 percent, which is a significant improvement compared to previous years. Additionally, the average duration of school bus service has decreased by 50 percent.

The Minister of Education acknowledged that on some days, due to circumstances beyond the ministry's control, such as traffic accidents or adverse weather conditions, limited exceptions may occur. She also pointed to operational challenges such as late registration of students by parents, which disrupts bus route planning.

According to Al-Amiri, the Ministry of Education regularly reviews bus routes and has established a special unit to monitor the quality of school transportation and address complaints. Concerns about the duration of school bus service have increasingly been raised in Federal National Council sessions, calling for improvements in service quality and the well-being of students in the UAE education system.

Source: Gulf Times