Dubai: Emirates Transport Media Dept.

Emirates Transport (ET), the largest and oldest school transport provider in the UAE, has intensified its preparations for the upcoming school year by putting in place all requirements for Covid-19 preventative measures.  

The company, which operates nearly 6,500 school buses for government and private sector schools, is working hard to ensure all school buses and work teams are ready for the start of the school transport operation, according to Khalid Shukur, manager of the Environment and Occupational Health and Safety (HSE) Department at ET.

Shukur said that the Covid-19 safety measures will be applied on all buses in the school transport fleet, in addition to university and college transport buses.

He said that some of these measures include the disinfection of school buses, ensuring adherence to social distancing during boarding and disembarking, and whilst on board the bus, reducing the number of students on buses by 40-60% from the usual capacity, conducting daily thermal tests for drivers, bus supervisors and all students over the age of six before boarding the bus. 

The HSE Manager explained that the success of these efforts depends on the cooperation of all parties responsible for the school transport process, noting the importance of coordination with school administrations, especially on the reporting of suspected cases of infections or disease symptoms appearing on a driver, supervisor or student.      He also urged school administrations and parents to take responsibility in the event that students fail to adhere to the set conditions to ensure the safety of everyone involved I the transport operations.