A new mobile application called Smart Bus has been designed to fool proof student safety and is set to be launched this week, highlighting the synergy between private and public sectors.
Local transport business Plus Rental created the platform and has been in talks with the General Directorate of Traffic and the Education and Transportation and Telecommunications ministries, with plans to make the application mandatory.
An event introducing the interface to all licensed school bus drivers and assistants was staged yesterday at the K Hotel in Juffair. The programme included a training segment on how to navigate the application, as well as educational talks on first aid and security measures.
Government and ministry officials were also present, emphasising a joint determination towards community safety and, in particular, protecting the most vulnerable. More training sessions are in the pipeline to ensure seamless operations, organisers announced.
“We’ve been working on the application for the past year and are hopeful to launch it in time for the new school term,” Plus Rental chief operations officer Hussain Al Kadhem told the GDN. “The idea is to put parents at ease while working out an efficient, sustainable system that can operate smoothly. Based on our initial talks with the General Directorate of Traffic, we have received positive interest from them,” he added.
Over the years, the kingdom has registered a spate of bus negligence incidents where young children were left behind in a vehicle, leading to death by heatstroke, in some of the most heartbreaking cases.
Smart Bus promises to offer a solution. “It has live tracking so parents can know where their child is throughout the journey. Additionally, there is a feature that indicates when each child is picked up and dropped off. This can be accessed not only by parents but also the transportation supervisor and school officials,” added the third-generation entrepreneur.
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