Al Salam Private School

Dubai, UAE

School Transportation Policy

Purpose:

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance to all students and staff of Al Salam Pvt. School & Nursery who are transported to and from the school via school bus.  The provisions of this policy is in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Decision No. 353 issued by  the Road and Transport Authority (RTA) in pursuant to the Order regulating School Transport in the Emirate of Dubai No (2) for 2008, issued by the Dubai Government Executive Council .  The following link is the Dubai School Transport Manual (DSTM) containing the above order: http://schooltransportservices.com/assets/downloads/Dubai_School_Transport_Manual-Eng.pdf

Policy:

Al Salam’s transportation services include transporting students and staff from the area of their homes to the school (and vice versa), in the safest and most efficient manner over carefully planned routes.  The use of transportation facilities for field trips, co-curricular activities, and other authorized educational, cultural, and recreational activities is also part of the services provided by the school.

In organizing the operation of the transportation system, all applicable statutes, rules, and regulations of RTA shall be strictly adhered to and all recommendations and suggestions from the parents shall be carefully considered as much as possible.

Student Transport

All students from Nursery to Year 6 are eligible to register for the school transport on available routes. Any specific request coming from a parent for a specific transport on an unviable route, will be looked into by management as long as there is a reasonable demand for transportation in the area and surrounding areas.

The school reserves the right to determine the bus stop selection and the bus (pickup and drop off) timings for the students as planned by the Transport Manager to make the route as efficient as possible. The list below outlines rules and guidelines pertaining to school transport.

• The student must be in the designated pick-up point five (5) minutes before the scheduled pick-up time.  Likewise, parents or other designated guardians must be in the drop-off point five (5) minutes before the bus arrives. If a student missed the bus for reasons caused by their own negligence, it is the responsibility of the parents to collect their child from the school.
• The school can only provide one space per child. The school cannot provide spaces on two different bus routes for the same child.
          
• School bus drivers can only pick up and drop off students at an authorized regular daily at home, caregiver or school address. Drivers cannot make changes to stops without authorisation from the Transportation Coordinator with prior written request from the parents.

• With the exception of water, students are not allowed to eat or drink on the bus. Objects that may interfere with student or vehicle safety cannot be permitted on the school bus.

• Students who wish to ride a different bus for a specific purpose on a particular day may do so provided they present written permission from their parents/guardians to the Transport Manager and receive approval in advance. Students shall not be transported to different stops for birthday parties, social events or any program not sanctioned by the School. The same policy shall apply to a non-bus students who wish to ride a school bus to a specific destination.
  
• Students whose behavior endangers the safety or interferes with the comfort of others may be prohibited to use the school transportation. Monetary compensation for damage or destruction applies to the property of the bus company as well as the property of the school.

Safety and Security:

Al Salam considers the school bus to be “an extension of the classroom”, that means, we have the same standards of behavior on the school bus as we do in school. Parents/caregivers are responsible for the child's safety and conduct prior to boarding the bus and following drop off at a designated stop. This includes walking or driving your child to and from the pick up/drop off. If no one meets the child at the bus stop, drivers are directed to take the child back to school or to the proper authorities. It is then the parents’ responsibility to ensure that children arrive home safely.

The students are expected to enter and exit the bus in a safe manner, and sit down with their seat belts securely fastened throughout the length of their journey.  Students should not hang out of windows, push or fight with other students, throw things, or try to distract the driver.

In accordance with RTA School transportation policy No.6, on the “Responsibilities of Students and Parents”, the school principal is entitled to deny any student on the use of the school transport service if he/she makes one of the offenses listed in the DSTM (pp. 18-19) plus all other infractions listed in the Terms and Conditions (#13) in the Agreement Form (Blue) provided by the Finance Department (see Appendix “A” for the Agreement Form).

As per Al Salam School transport policy, any negligence on safety or misbehavior by students will result to a 3-fold warnings with corresponding penalty/ies:

1st Offense:

• Verbal warning either by the Transport Manager and/or the Head of the Department depending on the seriousness of the offense.
• A phone call by the Department Head to the parent/s informing them about the offense

2nd Offense:

• A phone call by the Department Head to the parent/s informing them about the offense
• A letter from the school to the parent/s with a warning of suspension from the bus depending on the seriousness of the offense.

3rd Offense:

• The student will be suspended from bus use for one day (up to one week, depending on the seriousness of the offense)
• If the student repeats the offense there will be a month’s suspension followed by a year’s ban on using school transportation.

Sickness / Absence

It is the responsibility of the parents to inform the Transport Manager/the Bus Driver/the Bus Nanny (attendant) if their child is not riding the bus due to sickness or other reasons that make it  impossible for their child to come to school. Likewise, parents should also inform the above-mentioned staff when their child is rejoining after an absence.  Failure to do the above procedure absolves the school from any accountability if a child is not picked-up the succeeding days after s/he has been absent. Moreover, if the parents decide, in any particular day, to bring their child to school by themselves in the morning, they should also inform the above-mentioned staff for the child to be dropped off in the afternoon to his/her house if the parents so desire.

Bus Fees

Bus fees are paid in advance to assure a seat in the bus.  Fees differ based primarily on the location of the students’ residence. Since the school transport service may be two-way or one-way trip, the difference in arrangement will also affect the fees (see Schedule of Bus Fees for more details).