State Council proposes rules on bus safety

CHINA'S State Council yesterday released a draft regulation on school bus safety.

The draft, the first of its kind, is the latest response to public anger over poor management and lax supervision of school buses after 19 kindergarten pupils died in a crash in Gansu Province in November. A teacher and the driver were also killed.

The crash, involving a nine-seater bus carrying 64 people, was one of a series of accidents that put problems such as overloading, speeding and unlicensed drivers under the spotlight.

Last Wednesday, another school bus ran a red light and collided with a truck, injuring 13 people, including 11 students on board, in Guangdong Province.

Several days after the Gansu accident, Premier Wen Jiabao called on government departments to "rapidly" create safety regulations and standards for school buses while further improving the design, production and distribution of vehicles.

License issues

Under the draft rules, school buses will be given priority by traffic police and be allowed to use bus lanes designated for public buses. Vehicles following buses will have to stop and wait while students get on or off.

The draft also has clauses on bus quality, equipment onboard and license issues.

Bus owners should not use retired or converted vehicles and violators will face fines of up to 50,000 yuan (US$7,861) and other penalties. Trading and faking school bus vehicle plates will also attract fines.

Escort staff should be onboard to make sure there is no overcrowding, the draft states, and staff and school leaders will be sacked if any breaches of the rules are found after an accident.

Fines, up to 10,000 yuan, will be imposed if a bus lacks safety equipment such as fire extinguishers.

"I think it's better to have a regulation than none," said a Shanghai woman surnamed Xu. Her daughter has enrolled in a local kindergarten this year and she drives here there.

"But how far this one can lead to a real change still needs t! o be see n," she said. Many regulations in China are wasted as they are seldom complied with in reality, she added.

Up to standard

"Anyway, I feel more assured when I can see my daughter sitting by my side," she said.

Schools are not required to have shuttle buses but the new rules would cover all those that have them.

Vehicles that are up to standard and with a unified appearance will be first in line to obtain approval from education authorities, Xinhua news agency reported, and the draft also requires buses to register at traffic administrative agencies before they can be used as school buses.

Instead of compulsory annual safety checks, the new rules would require owners to renew safety qualifications every six months.

Drivers should also check the safety of buses before each journey, the draft says.

The draft also stipulates standards for drivers, taking account of their age, driving experience and health.

The draft is available at www.Chinalaw.gov.cn, and feedback via online posts, letters and e-mails will be accepted until January 11.