ACCIDENTS INVOLVING SCHOOL CHILDREN AND SCHOOL BUSES

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ACCIDENTS INVOLVING SCHOOL CHILDREN AND SCHOOL BUSES: 13.

Mdm Cynthia Phua asked the Minister for Transport (a) in the past three years, 2001, 2002 and 2003, what is the number of accidents involving school children and school buses; (b) whether LTA will review the need for school bus attendants for buses of 18 seaters or below, especially when these buses are also permitted to carry an additional one third more children; and (c) whether LTA will also review the need for separate buses for lower and upper primary children and for accompanying bus attendants.

The Minister of State for Transport (Dr Balaji Sadasivan) (for the Minister for Transport): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Traffic Police have been monitoring the road accident rate of school buses. The statistics show that the accident rate has remained very low over the years. In the past three years, 25 school children suffered minor injuries and no school children were killed or seriously injured while travelling in school buses.

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The capacity of a school bus is determined based on a ratio of three children for every two adults. Currently, only school buses with a child-capacity of more than 30 are required to have an attendant on board to look after the safety of the children. School buses that are used to convey children of child care centres or kindergartens are also required to have an attendant regardless of their carrying capacity.

While it is ideal to have attendants on all school buses, this is likely to result in an overall increase in the cost of operation to the school bus owners. This will likely lead to an increase in the school bus fare.

As the accident trend of school buses has been very low and has remained stable, LTA currently does not plan to increase the existing requirement for bus attendants. Nevertheless, schools are free to impose stricter requirements for school bus attendants and the deployment of school buses on the transport service providers they engage for their students, such as having different buses for lower and upper primary school children. This is a more flexible approach.

LTA will continue to work with the Traffic Police, the Ministry of Education and the school bus associations to ensure that school buses continue to be a safe and affordable mode of transport for school children.

Mdm Cynthia Phua (Aljunied): Sir, what is the basis that LTA works on in the determination of 30 children for a bus attendant? And does the Minister agree that the agility of children aged 6 and aged 12 differs differently? A child psychologist has once said that a child has no self-restraint before age 10. After an accident in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 where a child dashed off from the hands of the parent crossing the road, if he does agree, for enhanced safety, can he review again the appeal for the segregation of

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children as well as the guideline for an attendant for young school children?

Dr Balaji Sadasivan: Sir, I agree with Mdm Cynthia Phua that there is a difference between a 6-year old and a 12-year old. Where schools wish to impose such a segregation of children in school buses and when it is feasible to do so, LTA has no objection.

Mr Chiam See Tong (Potong Pasir): Sir, I do not know whether I have heard the Minister correctly. He says that the accident rate of school buses is very low and therefore the LTA is not taking any further action. I thought even one more death of a school child is already too many.

Dr Balaji Sadasivan: Mr Speaker, Sir, what I said was in the last three years, there was no fatality of school children travelling in school buses. We have allowed schools to determine whether additional safety measures are required. Schools will have to discuss with parents on what measures they want to take and the affordability issue before determining that.

Mdm Cynthia Phua: Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister of State has not answered the question. What is the basis that LTA works on in the determination of 30 children for a bus attendant? I would still like to ask the Minister to explain that. The second question is: if the basis is based on affordability of the children, when was this requirement set down? And can a review be made again?

Dr Balaji Sadasivan: The 30 students cut-off was determined because it was felt that below 30 students, the cost of an attendant would be prohibitive on the parents. However, where the school bus caters to kindergartens and childcare centres, we have imposed that restriction.

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If schools wish to impose that restriction for children above the age of 6, LTA does not object to it, and we are willing to review the rules again.

Ms Braema Mathiaparanam: Pardon my ignorance here. Can I just check with the Minister of State whether seat belts are compulsory on these buses? If not, would we consider this?

Dr Balaji Sadasivan: Seat belts are not compulsory, and we will be willing to review that.

Mdm Cynthia Phua: Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister of State has said that the determination of 30 children is based on affordability. When was this determined? The affordability has changed over time, and for enhanced safety of the children, I would like to appeal again that the Ministry review this requirement.

Dr Balaji Sadasivan: Sir, if the school feels that it is now affordable, individual schools can impose a rule on the requirement. As for the exact date when this rule was implemented, I would take that information up - I do not have it with me now - and give it to the Member.

Mdm Cynthia Phua: I think school transport is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport (MOT). Most schools would comply with the requirement of MOT. They would not on their own establish a new requirement and especially so if the parents ---

Mr Speaker: What is your question, Mdm Phua?

Mdm Cynthia Phua: Can the Minister consider reviewing this requirement because MOT is regulating the bus transport system?

Dr Balaji Sadasivan: We will consider and review the issue and we will work with MOE closely.