August 22, 2025 | News
Emirates Transport: 9,800 Buses and Vehicles to Serve 260,000 Students
Taleb Ali Saif Alfarsi, Regional Director of Operations at Emirates Transport – Abu Dhabi, affirmed the company’s full readiness to commence the new academic year, proudly continuing its national mission of providing safe and efficient school transport services for over 44 years. As the largest and most experienced provider of school transport in the UAE, Emirates Transport stands prepared to serve students across the country.
Alfarsi extended his congratulations to students, parents, and all education sector staff on the start of the new school year, emphasizing that the success of school transport services depends on the cooperation of all stakeholders, government and private entities, school administrations, and parents alike. He conveyed the company’s best wishes for a safe and successful academic year for everyone.
Alfarsi told Aletihad that this year, Emirates Transport has added 639 new buses to its school transport fleet to meet operational requirements. The company proudly provides daily services to more than 260,000 students across 610 schools, including public, private, and charter schools, as well as institutes. To deliver services that reflect the company’s reputation and commitment, its school transport fleet will comprise around 9,800 buses and vehicles, among which 547 buses and vehicles are specially equipped to serve more than 4,100 students of determination.
100,000 Training Hours
Regarding training and preparation, Alfarsi noted that thousands of employees across various sites and emirates will take part in the school transport operation, led by frontline staff—drivers and transport and safety supervisors. A total of 8,636 drivers will operate the fleet, supported by 9,547 transport and safety supervisors to ensure the highest standards of performance throughout the school year.
Over the past months, the company intensified its training and qualification programs, delivering around 100,000 training hours benefiting more than 30,000 drivers and supervisors. Each driver received an average of 20 training programs totaling 6 training hours, while each attendant attended 15 programs totaling 5 hours. All of these efforts aim to ensure excellent performance, with student safety remaining the company’s top priority.
Maintenance of 9,396 Buses
Alfarsi highlighted that the company’s comprehensive efforts across all areas related to school transport have resulted in continuous improvement in safety indicators over the years. These efforts remain ongoing. On the maintenance front, 9,396 buses underwent preventive summer maintenance. Each bus in the fleet receives four types of maintenance annually, amounting to more than 60,000 maintenance operations per year, delivered through 23 certified service centers. Additionally, the company continues to modernize its fleet, having added 639 new buses this year to meet operational needs. Alfarsi also commended the ongoing initiatives and achievements that further enhance safety aboard Emirates Transport buses.
Smart Applications
He emphasized the growing role of the “Hafilati” smart app, which allows parents of students in public schools to register their children for the free school transport service and to track their journeys in real time, receiving instant notifications. This feature enhances parents’ peace of mind while improving overall service performance, safety, and comfort levels.
Electronic Platform
The company has also launched the Aegis electronic platform for reporting incidents, near-misses, and observations, as well as for conducting investigations, risk assessments, and route evaluations. A total of 20,525 routes have been assessed for potential risks, covering over 200,000 individual student pick-up locations. The company continues to ensure the installation and activation of advanced safety systems on board its buses, which include a comprehensive set of technologies such as the Stop Arm, child-check button, motion sensors, emergency hammers, and many more.
Moreover, smart route planning and optimization have been implemented to improve operational efficiency, reduce environmental impact and congestion, and ensure better performance while enhancing safety levels. Trial operations were conducted before the start of the school year, allowing all drivers to familiarize themselves with the routes, particularly new ones, before official operations commenced.
Operations Room
As part of its readiness efforts, Alfarsi also highlighted the enhanced role of the operations control room, which monitors all fleet vehicles in real time, enabling rapid response when needed. Field supervision is also being reinforced to ensure compliance with procedures, alongside continuous awareness programs for students through school visits, increased collaboration with partners, intensified training initiatives, and the sharing of lessons learned and updated operational manuals.
Cooperation and Teamwork
Emirates Transport reiterates that school transport services can only be delivered effectively through the collective cooperation of all stakeholders in the education ecosystem, government and private entities, school administrations, and parents. The company extends its heartfelt congratulations to all on the start of the new school year, wishing everyone safety and success.