Although new school bus regulations went into effect on January 1, 2025, many operators are still having trouble trying to meet the standards.
Students use the shuttle bus at Hong Ha Secondary and High School (HCMC) - Photo: Provided by the school
In preparation for Decree No. 151 detailing a number of articles and measures to implement the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety, which will take effect from January 1, 2025, the school bus fleet of EMASI Van Phuc International Bilingual School (HCMC) has been supplemented with necessary equipment by a transport cooperative. First of all, signs identifying the school bus are posted on the front and two sides of the vehicle above the windows.
In addition, the vehicles are equipped with a journey monitoring device and a camera to record images of preschool children and students. Regarding the requirement for a device with a warning function to prevent children from being left behind in the vehicle, this cooperative has installed an alarm bell at the back of the vehicle and the driver will press the bell when the children have gotten off the vehicle to prevent any children from being left behind. In addition, each seat has an additional seat belt.
Need more standards
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Cuc, the school principal, said that the school had previously deployed safety equipment for students on the school bus, so when Decree 151 came out, the school and the transport cooperative were not too surprised. Because in general, according to Ms. Cuc, the new equipment also aims to improve safety for the students themselves.
According to the representative of TS Transport Cooperative (HCMC) - a unit with more than 200 shuttle buses in HCMC, installing new equipment is not too difficult for current cooperatives, but the problem lies in the standards of these equipment. For example, what are the standards for equipment with the function of warning of leaving children in the car? And is the unit using the alarm bell up to standard?
"Without standards, every business and cooperative will buy equipment without knowing whether it is correct or suitable," he said.
Mr. Duc Dung, a school bus driver for a school in District 12 (HCMC), said that current regulations require that the sign identifying a school bus must be large (350 x 350mm). This size is quite large, so placing this sign in front of the vehicle will reduce the driver's field of view.
"We should adjust the size or position of this sign. Otherwise, it is very possible that from the purpose of ensuring safety for shuttle buses, we could make it more unsafe when drivers have limited visibility," said Mr. Dung.
Afraid to paint school bus yellow
Another notable regulation in Decree 151 is that commercial vehicles used to transport preschool children and students must have their exterior painted dark yellow.
Ms. Ha Thi Kim Sa, principal of Hong Ha Secondary and High School (HCMC), said that this is currently a relatively difficult regulation to implement in practice at her school. Although the fleet of vehicles is operating directly for the school, it is difficult to force the owners of these vehicles to repaint yellow. Because in addition to driving for the school, the vehicles may receive separate transportation business contracts. Changing to yellow may cause difficulties for them in these business activities.
"The regulation requiring school buses to be painted dark yellow is very good, but in reality in Vietnam I think it is very difficult to implement. Not to mention which dark yellow color will be the standard color, there is still no further guidance here. Therefore, the school's fleet of vehicles has been equipped with the required equipment, only the yellow color is what we are still waiting for," said Ms. Kim Sa.
Similarly, the CEO of a private school system in Tan Phu district said that schools have long used the body of the car for advertising and brand recognition. For example, the school is decorating the white background with the school logo, some activity images with contact information and enrollment information.
"Switching to yellow paint could affect our brand. So I'm still calculating carefully before making a final decision," he said.
Priority lanes are needed.
A representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Passenger Transport Association said that the association has recently made some recommendations regarding the specific paint color for school buses. Accordingly, having to paint a separate dark yellow color may make it difficult for businesses and cooperatives to expand their business to other types of transportation to increase transportation productivity. Therefore, the association recommends that only vehicles specializing in school bus transportation need to be painted in a separate color.
In addition, the association proposed that Ho Chi Minh City consider implementing priority or dedicated lanes for school buses to ensure that students arrive at school on time. At the same time, this solution also helps operating units increase the frequency of trips.
Proposal not to impose penalties according to Decree 168
Recently, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport sent a document to the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Transport requesting specific guidance on issues related to road transport activities according to the Road Law and the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety.
Accordingly, to ensure the synchronous and unified implementation of regulations in the Road Law, the Law on Traffic Order and Safety, and guiding decrees and circulars, detailed guidance from relevant ministries and branches is needed, especially for school bus operations.
For example, there are currently no specific guidelines on technical standards for child-leaving-in-vehicle warning devices. Therefore, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport recommends that the Ministry of Public Security soon issue detailed standards so that transport units have a basis for proper implementation; in addition, consider adjusting the size or location of the signs to ensure compliance with reality and traffic safety.
While waiting for instructions from implementing units, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport recommends that the authorities consider not penalizing the above vehicles for violations according to Decree 168.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/quy-dinh-xe-dua-don-hoc-sinh-co-hieu-luc-hon-1-thang-thuc-hien-van-roi-20250213064152373.htm
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