With rising costs, school bus operators will do everything to make ends meet. This could mean more pickups, delayed schedule, driving faster and making judgement errors - do you really trust your dear children with them?
Not that you can really blame these bus operators with such stiff competition. According to the Singapore School & Private Hire Bus Owners’ Association (SSPHBOA), there are more than 3,000 buses in Singapore transporting school children to and from school daily. Coupled with fuel, manpower and maintenance costs rising steadily in Singapore, the outlook for operators is grim.
Furthermore, traffic accidents caused by heavy vehicles and buses have become more frequent over the years, causing concern over road safety and the driving behaviour of drivers of such vehicles. Land Transport Authority's (LTA) annual report, there are around 10,000 reported injuries and approximately 200 fatalities per year.
Operators will take on more trips and mileage, which will force more maintenance. It would mean that the inferior buses would have to go to more homes further from the school and barely making it for first bell. It is a disaster waiting to happen. What if there were delays en route? Bus breakdowns? Accidents? Or worse?
Parents should be worried about personal safety of their children and the practices of bus operators. Presently, the SSTA and SSPHBOA already govern the operators and should step in to regulate the industry with a minimum price for bus rides. This ensures a decent return for operators so it is unnecessary for them to cut corners. Also, operators who flout the rules should be punished for endangering the roads and its precious passengers.
On top of institutional intervention, bus operators should also be able to update parents on status of the pickup and drop-off. In the past, technology may have been limited but in the digital age of ubiquitous smart phones, it is now possible to provide real-time geo-located information.
By installing permission tracking apps, bus drivers can update concerned parents about where the bus is bringing their kids and when they alight safely at school on time. Parents will no longer need to hold their breath or worry about their kids' whereabouts - they can watch over their loved ones from afar. Also, permission tracking will aid bus drivers as it shuts off tracking after the drop-off to keeps his/her privacy.
School buses are an essential transport tool for city life - it helps ease traffic congestion and saves valuable time for parents. Since it is not replaceable, this should be improved. Together with enforced regulations and modern technology, parents should be able to get reassurances on the safety on their children.
Jane Folr
TRS Contributor