Dubai’s RTA expands network of smart buses for schools
Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority’s (RTA) Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC) is all prepared to run smarter and bigger school transport service for the new academic year 2018-2019. The service is gathering momentum with a fleet of as much as 368 buses to lift about 8873 students in 17 schools contracted for the new academic year.
The school transport service launched in the academic year 2015-2016 with 117 buses to serve eight schools, and the number grew in the following academic year (2016-2017) to 270 buses serving 14 schools. In the last academic year (2017-2018), the fleet grew to 368 buses serving 17 schools.
The buses are smart, environment-friendly and fitted with safety and security features as well as well-trained drivers and supervisors. Each bus is equipped with surveillance cameras connected to monitors at DTC’s Control Center to monitor students’ movement while sitting and alighting from buses.
A new smart app DTC School Bus has been launched to enable parents to track the movement of their children’s journey from and to the school, besides the GPS satellite system, which sends notifications to parents about the time their children board or alight from buses in their shuttle between schools and homes.
New technologies added to the school bus fleet enhance the safety of students. The engine switch off button is now located at the rear end of the bus behind the seats. So the driver is obliged to walk through up to the end of the bus to stop the engine, meanwhile ensuring that no student is left behind on the bus before the doors are locked.
