KUCHING: Apart from being able to help reduce traffic congestion, especially within school compounds and surrounding roads, the free school bus programme which was launched yesterday, will definitely benefit students and their parents as well as school van and bus drivers.
Moreover, parents also no longer have to worry about the whereabouts of their children (who return home on school buses) because all the buses and vans are equipped with GPS trackers, which allow parents to track their children’s school bus/van locations via smartphone.
It is understood that a total of 46 drivers of which 23 drivers consist of school vans and the rest are school bus drivers, are involved in the programme.
One of the school bus drivers Dave Willie, 44, thanked the state government for such initiative as it could help them (school bus drivers) to recover their finances.
For William Baseng, he hoped the state government could work with any bus operators in the state to help restore their finances.
“Since the schools closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we (school bus drivers) have lost our source of income – as me myself have been doing gardening work throughout the movement control order (MCO) period,” said the 50-year-old man.
Another school van driver Sediah Manja, 48, hoped the initiative would continue to be maintained and expanded to other districts in Sarawak.
Operating routes for this free school bus programme are separated into 18 zones within Kuching and Samarahan districts involving 32 schools and 46 school buses and vans.
