SCHOOL BUS SERVICES

Mr Ang Nam Piau asked the Minister for Education (a) what steps have been taken towards improving the schools transport service; and (b) whether there has been any response from schools to his suggestion on 17th December, 1968, that schools run school bus services of their own.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education (Dr Lee Chiaw Meng) (for the Minister for Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, various measures have been taken to improve the transport service for school children. A committee, consisting of representatives from the Registrar of Vehicles Department, the Ministry of Education, the Traffic Police, the Chinese Bus Owners' Association as well as the Singapore Traction Company, has been formed to work for the improvement of bus services for school children. The Government has encouraged bus companies to operate school bus services through the offer of relatively low licence fees and taxes. Up to 20th March, 1969, the Changi, Hock Lee, Katong-Bedok and Green Bus Companies operated a total of 11 buses picking up only school children at designated stops along their usual bus routes. In addition, a scheme has been worked out to provide special bus services for pupils who are residing in certain constituencies but who are studying outside their constituencies. From 17th March this year, the Green Bus Company has been running special school buses to transport pupils who live in the Bukit Panjang Constituency to and from Toh Tuck Primary School. From I st April, the Hock Lee and Tay Koh Yat Bus Companies will run similar school bus services for pupils who are residents of the Bukit Ho Swee, Alexandra, Tiong Bahru and Queens-town Constituencies to enable them to travel to Dunearn Secondary School, Dunearn Hill Secondary Technical School, Toh Tuck Secondary School and Chestnut Drive Secondary School and back to their constituencies after school hours. At the same time, schools have now been offered tax concessions for school buses they propose to operate. As from 20th March, 1969, 13 Government-aided schools have been operating their own school buses. A scheme for the operation of school buses by Government schools was introduced in February this year.

Let me mention the scheme for the registration of vehicles carrying children to and from school as school taxis on payment of reduced licence fees and taxes. This is to enable the Government to exercise a measure of control on the service provided by such taxis. A total of 1,056 school taxis were registered up to 20th March, 1969.

As for the second part of the question, Sir, under the scheme for the operation of Schoo1 buses by Government schools, each school will enter into an agreement with an individual bus owner to run bus services for its own pupils. The bus will be registered in the name of the schoal but its operation and maintenance will be the responsibility of the bus owner. The school will make no profit out of the scheme and the bus owner will be expected to charge a reasonable monthly fee per pupil depending on distance between school and home. A standard agreement on which individual agreements can be based has been drawn up. By 20th March, 1969, eight individual bus owners have expressed interest in providing such a service.