Pact to ensure safe movement of school buses

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: Representatives of private boarding schools, guardians and traffic police today agreed to stick to a schedule for the operation of schools buses to ease traffic congestion during rush hours.

The 11-point agreement came at a meeting among representatives of the school organisations — Private and Boarding Schools’ Organisation (PABSON), National Private and Boarding Schools’ Organisation (N-PABSAN), Higher Secondary Schools Association of Nepal (HISSAN) — Guardians’ Association of Nepal and the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD). The meeting agreed on a host of measures for the safety of school children.

As per the agreement, school buses will have to report to school with students before 9 am and before 4.30 pm after dropping them to avoid rush our traffic during government office hours (10 am to 5 pm).

The meeting decided to paint all school buses yellow for easy identification. Public buses used for transporting schoolchildren shall hang yellow flex boards on the front and the rear so they can be distinguished as school buses from a distance.

The stakeholders also decided to replace decrepit school buses with new ones. They also agreed to conduct an information campaign to ensure a smooth movement of school buses on the road, apart from asking authorities concerned to ensure unhindered movement of school buses even during strikes.

Now on, school buses will not be allowed to carry students more than 1.5 times its total seat capacity.

The meeting also agreed on issuing identity cards and setting dress code for drivers of school buses and their helpers, and discouraging higher secondary level students from biking.

The stakeholders also formed a committee tasking it with preparation of a code of conduct for drivers of school buses and their helpers. More than 1,200 buses of private schools operate in the Valley daily.