ShareKUWAIT: It is no secret that everyone dreads being stuck in traffic early in the morning on the way to school or work and having the same occur when going back home. As the summer break comes to an end in Kuwait, parents and children alike are bracing for the inevitable traffic jams and difficult commutes, but one solution could prevent being stuck on the road for a long period of time.
Enters the school bus, the solution might be obvious and come to one’s surprise; however, it is a safe and reliable method that might lessen congestion and help smooth traffic. Speaking to KUNA on the issue, Director of Services Department at the Ministry of Education Abdulaziz Al-Sahou said that the ministry offered 1,416 school buses to transport students to and from schools. He revealed that plans were set to boost the number to 1,686 if the need for buses rises.
At the moment, the Department of Transportation was assessing the situation to improve school bus services, he added. The aim is to lessen the burden on students and their families, he affirmed, noting that each educational district has an allocated number of buses. The capital district has 100 vehicles, the Hawally district has 100, Farwaniya has 155, Mubarak Al-Kabeer has 86, Al-Ahmadi has 360, and Al-Jahra has 125, Al-Sahou pointed out, adding that 125 buses were allocated for the religious studies institute, 240 buses for the ministry’s specialized schools, and 100 buses for schools for the special needs.
Scholarship students and employees of psychological and social services were allocated 25 buses, he added. On the vehicles used in transportation, the head of the private transportation department at the state-owned Kuwait Public Transport Company (KPTC), Mohammad Al-Failakawi, touted the perks of using buses during the school year, especially with the fact that there were around half a million school students in the country.
Taking the load off the road not only benefits schools but the country as a whole, he said, stressing that buses were from the latest brands and equipped with the newest technologies as well as being maintained thoroughly. He commended the cooperation with the ministries of education and interior, hoping that it would contribute to smooth and easy-flowing traffic this year. Being well-versed in road etiquette is a social responsibility that hopefully would be eager to cooperate on, Al-Failakawi affirmed. — KUNA
