Inspired by the recently introduced UAE seatbelt laws, we are launching a creative competition with the prize of a whole month of free school bus travel.
We’d like YOU to design an awareness poster to highlight the importance of wearing a seatbelt.
You draw something, use your own photos or write a catchy slogan.
Take a picture of your poster and send it to us by 31th May 2017 via our Facebook page or email to contest@stss.ae and the best poster will win its creator A MONTH’S FREE TRAVEL ON STS BUSES!*
*New and existing passengers can enter. Terms and conditions apply.
New laws carrying hefty fines and penalties are introduced to safeguard the areas around school buses.
Getting on and off the school bus have the potential to be risky situations for children who may be distracted by seeing their friends or family, too young to properly comprehend safe road behaviour or too small to be easily seen by drivers of nearby cars.
As such we all have a role to play in reducing the risks for our children and making their journey to school safer. Our bus drivers and conductors teach the children every day how to get on and off school buses safely, and we ask parents and schools to reiterate the importance of safe behaviour while waiting for and disembarking from buses.
Other road users have their role to play too, and the newly announced laws are a big step towards safety around school buses. The law specifies that:
Drivers of all other vehicles must stop at a minimum distance of five metres when the side stand arms of these buses are open.
Failure to do so can result in a Dhs.1,000 fine and 10 black points on your licence
Be aware of school buses, keep your distance, keep our children safe.
The Fleet Inspector is key member of the STS team and a pivotal role in our safety provision. So what does a fleet inspector do?
Before our buses take to the road each day, a host of safety checks are underway: drivers and conductors work through their manual checklist which includes emergency exit and seatbelt checks, our vehicle maintenance software ticks away alerting us to servicing and preventative maintenance needs, and the control room alerts drivers to road and driving conditions.
On top of this, our fleet inspectors do the rounds. Fleet inspectors are an essential part of our ‘belt-and-braces’ approach to safe operations. They carry out regular engine, bodywork and internal checks to ensure that each bus in the fleet is correctly maintained and that everything is in line with RTA specifications.
Sethumadhavan K has been with STS for a staggering 28 years and, after working his way through the ranks from driver to driving foreman, he has spent the last 8 years as a fleet inspector. He is also the proud dad to his 3rd Grade daughter and 10th Grade son who are at school in the UAE.
“There are 31 schools [in my jurisdiction] and to me each one is as important as the next. The quality of the service and the safety of the children has to be identical for each school.
“STS has invested in technological advancements like CCTV and GPS. Everything we do is built around the safety and happiness of the children.
“I enjoy my work enormously. Apart from a short six-month period, I have never worked for any other company apart from STS. And I don’t want to work for any other company. I feel blessed.”
Every year STS, and its sister company Bright Bus Transport (BBT), hold medical camps for its staff across the different Emirates.
In March, it was BBT’s Sharjah team’s turn to be visited by medical doctors, giving employees access to essential medical checks, ensuring that they maintain good health and are fit to drive.
Employees were offered a range of medical tests including blood tests, dental consultations, blood sugar and blood pressure checks, as well as general height, weight and health checks. More than 300 staff took part and benefited from the check ups.
Orientation Day is always a busy day. We called in on The Millennium School – Al Qusais to find out what it entails and why it makes a difference to parents.
Handing over your child into someone else’s care is a big deal. When that person is going to be responsible for your child’s safe travel on the UAE’s busy roads, parents can understandably feel like they are taking a big leap of faith.
Never underestimating the weight of this responsibility, STS takes a personalised approach to reassure parents. At the Orientation Day at The Millennium School – Al Qusais, on 26 March 2017, 55 of STS’ drivers and 55 bus monitors were there to meet and greet parents signing up for school bus transport for the coming term. Each driver and their assigned monitor were responsible for answering parents’ queries, giving parents a chance to meet the people who will be caring for their child each day.
Bus drivers and monitors are the life-blood of STS. They are at the frontline of children’s safety each day, but also go the extra mile to make sure that the children are happy and comfortable as well. For parents, meeting the people who will take charge of their children each day, seeing their professionalism, friendliness and genuine concern offers huge reassurance and comfort. So when it comes to waving their little one goodbye in the morning, parents can get on with their day without anxiety and simply look forward to welcoming them back at home time.
‘The Extended Classroom’ – Children Road Safety Partnership between STS and RoadSafetyUAE
• Road traffic accidents #1 cause of death for children below 14
• Education sector’s vital need to teach road safety
• School buses are ‘The Extended Classroom’ for real-life learning
Dubai, 1st March 2017: STS, the UAE’s biggest private school bus operator enters a strategic partnership with RoadSafetyUAE. According to official data, road traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for children below the age of 14 years in the UAE. Currently, there is no mandatory road safety content in UAE’s school curricula. Young drivers account for a big share of traffic accidents (for example in Abu Dhabi 63% of all accidents).
The partnership between STS and RoadSafetyUAE will consist of various engagement initiatives aimed at children and parents at events, campaigns and online activities, like an online pledge for children and parents to always wear their seatbelt. In addition, there will be a strong content collaboration between the parties for the recently launched STS magazine “Our Journey“.
Thomas Edelmann, Managing Director of RoadSafetyUAE: “Collaborating with STS means, that we have the chance to expose kids to road safety while they are in and around school buses, hence we speak about the ‘extended classroom’. STS drivers and school bus attendants are experts in road safety and they can engage with kids on a daily basis about proper and safe behaviour. STS offers leading safety technology in its fleet and has a great safety track record, so they are a perfect partner for us.”
Children must learn how to safely wait for and enter the school bus. They must learn the importance of buckling up themselves or be buckled up in the school bus. Children must be made aware of the proper behaviour while being driven in school buses and how to safely disembark and approach their waiting parents or guardians, and how to safely cross roads on their way home after their school bus ride. We must make it clear to our children, that school bus drivers and attendants are persons of authority and that their directions must be obeyed, in the same manner as the guidance of regular teachers is obeyed. Besides school bus staff, the teacher body, as well as the parents, must make it crystal clear to students, that they must behave properly in school buses and that they must follow the rules given to them by schools, school bus operators and school bus personnel.
The partnership aims to go beyond the expected, by providing students with the opportunity for ‘good citizen’ contributions, for academic projects with regards to sustainability and emission reductions and for arts and crafts competitions.
STS becomes the patron of the topic ‘Safety around schools and school buses’ on RoadSafetyUAE’s online portal www.roadsafetyuae.com.
STS was proud to be a part of Empowerment Day 2017 at Dubai English Speaking College and looks forward to welcoming our summer interns in July.
Our responsibility to parents and schools doesn’t end when we drop your children home. We are so committed to making positive contributions to the communities that we serve across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates, that we are always on the lookout for new community and education initiatives to get involved with.
So when we were invited to take part in Empowerment Day 2017 at Dubai English Speaking College, we were delighted to have the opportunity to get involved.
As well as talking to students about the challenges and complexities of running a school transportation service, we invited students to sign up for our summer internships where they will gain insight into different parts of the business and add valuable work experience to their CVs.
This year, STS is offering month-long internships for three DESC students and we were delighted with the response with students signing up to apply for work experience placements in our Operations, Marketing and Human Resources departments. The next stage will be to review and shortlist applicants, and then invite them to join us for a month over the summer holidays.
Whether or not these young people go on to become the next entrepreneurs in the public transportation industry, they will all have gained valuable exposure to different business units, and will have worked alongside some of the most passionate and dedicated professionals in the school bus business.
The Arcadia School is a warm, vibrant and dynamic new primary school set in the heart of the Jumeirah Village Triangle community.
Every morning, we welcome parents and pupils to another day of excitement and learning. From the moment a child enters our beautiful new school, he or she is surrounded by warmth and positivity. Our highly skilled teacher’s design and deliver learning programmes that motivate, excite and challenge children. Our motto, ‘nurture lifelong learning’ encapsulates our belief, that by delivering a rich and varied curriculum and by ensuring lessons are meaningful and targeted, each child in our care will develop a lasting desire to continually learn, grow and develop.
As a young and forward-looking new school, we have seized the opportunity that new technologies provide. Teachers and pupils utilise leading-edge Apple technology on a daily basis to create, communicate and collaborate. Parents are empowered to share in their child’s learning experiences through our app-based mobile technology, and our ultra-modern primary school campus provides an enabling environment for all.
ASCS welcomes prospective parents and students of all nationalities. We aim to provide a unique education second to none. Our curriculum will nurture, cultivate, and foster creative and critical thinking skills. We strive for academic excellence with strong moral values to develop successful and contributing members of a global society. ASCS’s aim is to provide the very best of both the American and UAE National Education.
We are fortunate to be able to draw on the decade-long educational knowledge and expertise from our sister school (ISCS and ASCS in Sharjah) in combining the very best of internationally renowned pedagogical best practices.
ISCS welcome prospective parents and students from all nationalities. Its aim is to provide a unique education second to none. Our curriculum nurtures, cultivates and fosters creative and critical thinking skills. We strive for academic excellence with strong moral values to develop successful and contributing members of a global society. ISCS’s aim is to provide the best British Education.
We are fortunate to be able to draw on the decade educational knowledge and expertise, and thus combining the very best of renowned best practices internationally.
If you would like your Grade 4 to 6 child to be dropped off without an adult waiting to meet them, you’ll need to complete this form. Send the signed document to the School Transport Services representative at your school.
If you would like your Grade 1 to 3 child to be dropped off accompanied only by their older sibling, or wish your child to be dropped off with a designated adult in view but not waiting at the bus stop, you’ll need to complete this form. Send the signed document to the School Transport Services representative at your school.
If you’ve moved house or need to change your child’s drop-off and pick-up points, contact your school’s STS Representative so that we can find the most appropriate bus route for your new location. Once you know your new bus route and number, complete the Transport Area Change Form and submit it to the STS Representative at your school.
All parents must agree to our Terms & Conditions. Please read this document carefully, sign it and fill in your child’s details. Return the completed form to the School Transport Services representative at your school.
STS requires that a completed Student Registration Form is submitted for each child as part of the registration process. Send the completed form to the School Transport Services representative at your school.
The Student Bus Behaviour Code is in place to ensure the safety of students and everyone on board. Parents play an important role in keeping their children safe by ensuring that they know the code and understand responsible behaviour.
Please take the time to read and explain the behaviour code to your child, and talk about it regularly so that it becomes second nature to them. Let’s work together to keep our children safe on board.
Established in 1988, The Cambridge High School, Abu Dhabi, provides high-quality education based on The National Curriculum for England to students from Kindergarten to Year 13. The school ensures a holistic education by providing the students with an excellent value based curriculum and a wide range of activities and opportunities designed to provide quality education with high expectations. The school prepares students for the IGCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education), AS and A Levels. Our examination results have been consistently above the U.K. national averages. The school is also an approved centre for the University of Cambridge International Examinations and for London University.
Our Own English High School, Al Ain, established in 1992, is a GEMS school. GEMS, Global Education Management Systems, is dedicated to bringing a unique approach to education, an approach propelled by over 48 years of experience and a far reaching global outlook. The GEMS unique approach to education includes four core values that are woven into the curriculum of every GEMS school
GEMS World Academy – Abu Dhabi, a part of the GEMS Global Network of award-winning schools, is located in the heart of Abu Dhabi. GEMS World Academy – Abu Dhabi is approved by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC). The campus is bright and cheerful; and families with children attending the school all have a sense of belonging in a small community atmosphere, which provides a safe and comfortable environment for young learners. Our teachers have received their degrees from universities in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. All the KG classrooms have a full time teaching assistant, with the upper grades having shared teaching assistants depending on grade level and class size.
GEMS Winchester School – Abu Dhabi will be the newest addition to the GEMS award winning and trusted brand of international schools. The school will offer the National Curriculum of England from Foundation Stage to Year 9. Modelled on the highly successful Winchester Schools in Dubai, GWS-Abu Dhabi will create opportunities for students to excel academically and develop their character, leadership and values.
GEMS Cambridge International Schools have a proven track record of success in both academic and extra-curricular activities. GEMS Cambridge International Schools consistently produce results that are significantly above the UK national average, year after year. Over the past 3 years alone, GEMS Cambridge students have been accepted to 97 universities in 26 countries.
GEMS American Academy, Abu Dhabi (GAA) is the first of many planned American schools that are modeled after the highly successful and sought after Dubai American Academy. Opened in September 2007, GEMS American Academy, Abu Dhabi benefits from the experience of our sister school in providing an outstanding college preparatory educational program in the English language to students from around the world. In October 2011, we moved to our new state-of-the art facilities in Khalifa City, which include a planetarium, a 500 seat auditorium, a six courts sports hall, 2 swimming pools, 4 full size tennis/ basketball courts and a full sized rugby pitch. Our program currently runs from Pre-K (3-year olds) to Grade 11, with Grade 12 opened in September 2014, with the plan to include an IB/US Grade 12 diploma (subject to authorization from the International Baccalaureate Organization).
Al Diyafah High School LLC was founded over 30 years ago, in September 1982, by the late Mrs. Winnie D’Cunha. It started as a Nursery with only 2 children in a small villa located on Al Diyafah Street, in Dubai.
To accommodate growing numbers, the school moved to a new campus in 2001, where the Dubai school is presently located. The school now has over 1,480 students from several nationalities, all studying together as one big family. A very successful senior school was started to allow the students to continue their studies. This offers a wide range of subjects from the Science, Commerce and Humanities streams.
Established in 1982, Our Own English High School, Sharjah provides high-quality education to students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Our sprawling campus set on seven acres land is complemented by excellent facilities and resources allowing us to strive towards high standards and academic excellence. Affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi, the school prepares students for the All India Secondary School Examination, conducted by the Board at Grade 10 and the All India Senior School Certificate Examination, conducted by the Board at Grade 12.
Our Own English High School, Sharjah was established in 1982. The Boys’ Wing moved to a new campus in September 2007. The year of shifting commemorated the Silver Jubilee of the School. The school is located in the school zone in Muwaileh Area, which is very close to the Sharjah University City. The school is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi and accordingly prepares children for the All India Secondary School Examination conducted by the Board at the Grade 10 level and the All India Senior School Certificate Examination, at the Grade 12 level.
