Abu Dhabi schools must provide safe transport; 56 violation types with fines up to Dh200,000

The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) has confirmed that schools must provide school transport services for their students, either directly or through external operators appointed by them. Schools must also provide necessary support and assistance to students with additional educational needs.

ADEK stressed that schools bear full responsibility for the safety of all students on school buses throughout the journey, even when schools outsource transport services to third-party operators.

The Integrated Transport Centre has specified 56 types of violations related to school buses: nine applicable to schools, 24 to operators, 12 to drivers, and 11 to bus supervisors. Penalties range from written warnings to fines starting at Dh100 for first offences, rising to Dh200,000 for repeated violations.

School-related violations include failure to provide sufficient buses (Dh20,000 fine for repetition), failure to appoint a school transport officer (Dh5,000), failure to provide a supervisor for buses carrying students under 11 (Dh5,000–Dh10,000), and contracting unlicensed operators (Dh100,000–Dh200,000).

Violators are given five working days to rectify violations. Failure to do so results in the violation being recorded again with the more severe penalty applied.