Abu Dhabi Schools Ban Kids Under 15 From Walking Home Alone
The Abu Dhabi Education and Knowledge Department has issued new transport rules for the safety, discipline, and convenience of student transport. Under the new policy, schools are responsible for the safety of every child during the bus journey, even when third-party operators are involved.
Taking a step towards the safety of the children, schools in Abu Dhabi have updated a new transport policy restricting children below the age of 15 from walking alone at home. As per the new pick-up rules, kids under 15 must be collected by a parent or an adult; elder siblings can only do so with signed parent consent.
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Parents must recognise that the elder sibling’s maturity level is sufficient for the task. School shall not be liable in case of any incidents resulting from the policy.
Under the new transport guidelines, the bus supervisors are mandatory for children under 11, and students are trained on bus and pedestrian safety.
Students aged 14 to 17 who are opting for non-school transport can use bikes or scooters with parental approval.
The school buses must only be used for the students, and for field trips may use tourist buses that meet strict safety standards.
As part of the journey and staff rules, bus rides are capped at 60 minutes, and drivers & supervisors must be licensed, and female supervisors are required for younger students.
For traffic management, schools must maintain safe drop-off and pick-up points, emergency plans, and dedicated parking.
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Also, fees are proposed by operators based on the Integrated Transport Center (ITC) School Bus Fee Framework and approved by ADEK. Any exceptional fee increase requires ITC coordination before approval.
