Their children's mode of commuting to and from school is a major concern of all parents. Parents of students in private and community schools are increasingly making use of the services of privately hired vans and mini buses which charge lower fees than school-managed transportation. “Our services are reasonably priced. Parents are satisfied with the highly responsible way in which we conduct ourselves. We make sure we drop children at their doorstep unlike some school buses that leave children at specified points and not in front of their homes,” said Kareemuddin, an expat, who has been working as a private driver for 20 years. He started off with a single van and currently has a fleet of 10 vans that are used to transport school children. He said the basic demands of every parent are, first, that their child is safely transported to his school and back home, and second, that this is done at a minimum expenditure. Despite their apparent advantages over school-registered transport, a few skeptics, however, have a different take on privately hired school transporters. “Though private vehicles are punctual, there is always a risk involved. There is no systematic seating arrangement for the students in these vehicles. Moreover, in case of an accident, there is no compensation at all. In this regard, the Saudi government has issued precincts,” said senior law attorney Basha Nawaz Khan of the BNK International Law Firm, and member of the International Bar Association, London. Umme Juweriya, an Indian mother, explains why in spite of knowing the limitations of privately hired school transport she has chosen it for her children. “I know my children suffer at times, especially in the summer, as the vans are not air conditioned and the vehicles are over-crowded. However, due to our budget restraints and the fact that we have four children we cannot opt for regular school buses,” Juweriya said. She estimated the total cost of school transportation at around SR6000 annually for her four children, and the same with privately hired transport at SR3500. ‘'We, however, feel slightly uncomfortable with private transporters due to reasons of safety and security, and especially because the children are not old enough to face these problems,” added Juweriya. Admitting that at times the air conditioners in some of his vans are out of order, which he has repaired “as soon as possible”, Kareemuddin defended privately hired school transport, saying his services are “low-cost, do not require advance payment or deposits, and moreover, parents do not have to pay for the holidays”. His vehicles include 2001-2008 model Toyota, Nissan and Mazda vans, each of which has “15 adult seats and can comfortably accommodate 20 to 25 children”. Khan lamented that many international schools in Jeddah do not have proper transport facilities, which he said is due to the school's limited budget. “Cost of school transportation in any standard international school is around SR1500-SR2500 annually (with or without a non-refundable bus deposit). This comes to around SR150-SR250 per month. Private transporters charge between SR75 to SR100 on the basis of the distance. And there are no deposits to be made,” he explained. “Transportation managed by the school is obviously legal but the charges are too high. The school must study this matter in the interest of the parents,” he said. Elaborating on the responsibilities and safety standards of a school driver and the vehicle, Khan said: “The driver is responsible for delivering students to and from school safely and on time. His other responsibilities include: operation of the vehicle, supervision of boarding and disembarking, supervision of students while riding the bus, reporting safety and behavior incidents to the principal, and (if applicable) ensuring that seat belts, child restraint systems, or chair systems are in place. This varies according to the size of the bus. Full-size buses can take only a limited number of students. Students are not allowed to stand.” “School systems,” Khan said, “are responsible for ensuring that children, especially of kindergarten age, are safely transported on all forms of federally approved transportation provided by the school. This service provided by the school is safe, reliable, and is door to door.” He said schools hire commercial, licensees, and experienced drivers, who are “highly responsible for child safety and security, and are managed in accordance with the local laws and regulations”. “However,” Khan added, “if private transportation provides all aspects of security, comfort and satisfaction at low costs, then definitely it is a better alternative for all parents”.
