Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (WAM)
A Dh1,000 fine and 10 traffic points will be imposed on any motorist failing to come to a complete halt when a school bus activates its 'Stop' sign, the Ministry of Interior reminded on Tuesday.
The regulation aims to ensure student safety on the journey to and from school. In turn, students should move at least 10 steps away from the vehicle after disembarking in order to remain visible to the driver, in accordance with Ministry of Interior school transport safety guidelines.
The authority, in collaboration with the Federal Traffic Council, has launched its fourth quarterly campaign of 2026 to ensure safe transport for students. Targeting students, parents, bus drivers, and supervisors, the campaign highlights behaviour aboard school buses, boarding and disembarking procedures, and precautions around schools and residential areas.
Students are advised to arrive at bus stops five minutes before the scheduled pickup time, remain calm during the journey, and avoid distracting the driver.
Supervisors are responsible for assisting students when boarding and leaving buses, recording absences, notifying school authorities, and monitoring behaviour during journeys.
Parents are encouraged to accompany children to bus stops and arrange for an authorised person to receive them from the bus or at the school gate, while schools are urged to provide safe boarding and disembarking areas and maintain regular communication with parents.
School bus drivers must inspect their vehicles daily, stop only in safe locations, and remain stationary until students have finished boarding or disembarking. They must also ensure, in coordination with supervisors, that students are seated and wearing seat belts and activate the "Stop” sign when students are boarding or leaving the bus.
Under Article 91, motorists who fail to stop when a bus activates its Stop sign will be penalised. Article 90 of the same regulation imposes a fine of Dh500 and six traffic points on school bus drivers who fail to activate the sign.
