ROP reminds drivers to ensure students leave busses safely

Muscat: With thousands of students returning to schools across the Sultanate of Oman for the new academic year, the Royal Oman Police (ROP) has urged school bus drivers and supervisors to remain vigilant and ensure the safe disembarkation of all students after every journey.

As part of its school transport safety awareness campaign, the ROP highlighted essential precautions that drivers and supervisors should follow to prevent students from being accidentally left inside buses.

The ROP stressed that drivers should not allow distractions to take precedence over their attention to students, noting that every moment of vigilance could help save a life. It urged drivers and supervisors to make checking the bus a routine step after every trip to ensure that all students have safely disembarked before the vehicle is left unattended.

Drivers were urged to pay particular attention to students who may have fallen asleep or become tired during the journey, and to thoroughly check all aisles and seats to ensure the bus is empty.

The ROP also stressed the need to carefully inspect the rear seats, where students could potentially remain unnoticed, before the driver leaves the bus.

The police emphasised that spending just a few minutes conducting a thorough inspection can help protect children's lives and prevent potentially serious incidents.

It may be noted that one or two cases of students left behind are reported each year despite active campaigns by the authorities, In some cases, there have been loss of lives too.

The ROP called on all school bus drivers and supervisors to maintain the highest levels of care and vigilance throughout the academic year, making student safety a constant priority after every journey.