RIYADH — As hundreds of thousands of Saudi boys and girls return to schools with the beginning of the new academic year 1446 on Sunday, Aug. 18, the Transport General Authority (TGA) instructed that all drivers involved in educational transportation have to strictly adhere to certain rules and regulations. The regulatory requirements stipulate that the driver's age should not be less than 25 years, in addition to obtaining a driver's permit, a valid driving license, and a certificate to show that they do not have any criminal record. The requirements also include that the driver shall undergo an approved first aid course, passing the medical examination conducted by the authority, passing the professional competency test, and any test or training courses specified by the TGA. The authority also emphasized that all the educational staff and students shall engage with only legal transport carriers so as to ensure their safety and availability of quality and efficient transport services. The authority has obligated those licensed for transport operation to apply all technical equipment and safety tools for educational buses used in their transportation, which include buses with a capacity of more than 15 seats, as well as buses with less than 15 seats, in addition to vans with no more than 9 seats. These equipment include the availability of safety tools in the bus, tracking devices linked to the Wasl platform, as well as the availability of cameras inside the bus, and the availability of a school bus sign board on the sides of the bus and the back of it in a reflective color, in addition to the rest of the other equipment that contribute to ensuring safe trip for the beneficiaries. The authority is working to intensify its inspection tours of buses designated for educational transportation. This is to ensure that carriers comply with its approved regulatory requirements and standards. The authority also provides the facility to communicate with it through beneficiary care platforms, such as the unified number 19929 for inquiries, comments, or monitoring violations by carriers in this vital activity, or through the authority's official website tga.gov.sa
