Proposal seeks to make school buses mandatory to ease traffic

There should be a study to make the use of buses mandatory for students while going to school and back home, as a practical solution to ease traffic congestion around schools and traffic jams during early morning and end-of-day hours, demanded a number of government school managers.
Speaking to local Arabic daily 'Arrayah', they pointed out that the number of students using buses in government schools does not exceed 45% of the total number of students, while about 55% of students use private cars, which eventually causes many traffic congestions, especially early in the morning and the time of end of the school day.
Considering that the average number of students in a school is 1,000, more than 500 cars enter and exit the school simultaneously during arrival and dismissal times, which causes big rush. They pointed out that mandating the use of buses will directly contribute to reducing traffic congestion around schools, in addition to relieving street congestion, avoiding students arriving late to school in the morning, and relieving transportation burdens on parents, whether by driving themselves, or having to hire more than one driver to transport their children to school.
Accordingly, they stressed the need of embracing the use of public buses, as it is free for Qatari students and children of GCC citizens. They further explained that 300 cars could be replaced with just 10 buses for student transportation to school, which would significantly reduce the number of cars on the streets during peak hours. They noted that all buses are equipped with the highest safety standards in addition to having supervisors on duty at all times.
Jamal al-Jabir, manager of a preparatory school, said the fees for expatriate student to use school buses at government schools are set at QR220 for each school term, which is a very small amount compared to the use of the involved cost of using private vehicles. He also pointed out that the peak hours traffic congestion becomes even worse at the areas that have a number of schools. However, if more students opt for school buses, such congestions will be reduced to the minimum, enhancing traffic safety and smoothness around schools.
Fahd Aqab, school manager, said that using school buses will eventually reduce the number of students who come late to school in the morning due to traffic jams. Besides, it would relieve parents from such burden, in addition to saving time and the involved cost.
Fahd al-Dirham, secondary school manager, said that the Ministry of Education and Higher Education has reduced the transportation fees by almost 78% from QR1,000 to only QR220 per school term for expatriate students at government schools and it is free for Qataris and GCC citizens. He considered this as part of the efforts of the Ministry to encourage students and parents to use school buses. Besides, making it mandatory for all students would improve traffic flows on the roads during peak hours.
Saeed al-Ahbabi, preparatory school manager, said that when almost 300 students come to school using private vehicles in the morning and similarly go home the same way in the afternoon, this create a big challenge to maintain traffic circulation around the school. However, if they use school buses, a maximum of 10 buses will do, and the process will be more organized and smoother.