Stuff the Bus with Kindness.
STS have created the concept for this year’s Ramadan campaign around bringing together students of the UAE. In line with the UAE Year of Tolerance, each element of this month long event is intended to encourage and highlight the importance of life values and supporting children who would benefit from support. The bus will visit a total of 82 schools during the whole month of Ramadan and we’re asking students to donate school items, toys and supplies. All donations will be handed over to Emirates Red Crescent for them to share to children. The project kicked off by bringing together 100 students from different nationalities to promote one act of kindness.
Kindly find below news links:
School Transport Services (STS) kicks off kindness campaign
https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/school-bus-operator-launches-ramadan-donation-drive-1.63956300?fbclid=IwAR3eBCmt0P8SgbqwD8Q1dIxdetPnFRPBcQAsxcdA1hq8Izd3kAFKoWIpGi8
Smart Safety Bus in collaboration with RTA for road safety awareness campaign is started visiting schools.
Schools will now have a smart, safe and fun to learn the road safety.
Below are the schools we have visited.
| Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children |
| Cambridge International School |
| Dubai Gem Private School |
| Dar Al Marefa Private School |
| JSS Internatrional School |
| Dubai Modern Education School |
Smart Safety Bus at DEWA Innovation Week.
STS was privileged to be invited to experience DEWA’s innovation week at City Walk. The event has been created to promote and encourage innovation and educate on upcoming initiatives and projects.
The event featured several activities including competitions for students, educational workshops and the Innovation and Future Exhibitions, which highlighted future innovations related to electricity and water.
Students of Dubai schools will be introduced to a smart, safe and fun way to learn about road safety. STS have designed a special interactive learning platform fitted with smart devices and applications when a planned roadshow that will start in May 2019.
The interior and exterior design of the bus is tailored to deliver traffic awareness messages to students and encourage them to travel safely. The Smart Safety Bus is one element of the STS extended classroom program and commitment to educating the wider community and creating safety advocacy among children.
Mr. Mattar Al Tayer, Director General of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), inaugurated the Smart Safety Bus along with Mr. Steve Burnell, Managing Director of STS to enhance traffic awareness for school students in Dubai.
Click on below news link:
https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/a-classroom-on-wheels-for-bus-safety-1.62166521
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/news/transport/dubai-smart-safety-bus-to-promote-students-traffic-awareness
https://www.edarabia.com/dubai-smart-safety-bus-promote-students-traffic-awareness/
https://www.msn.com/en-ae/news/other/dubai-smart-safety-bus-to-promote-students-traffic-awareness/ar-BBTNV1v
http://www.tradearabia.com/news/MTR_351296.html
http://mediaoffice.ae/en/media-center/news/19/2/2019/launchingsmartbus.aspx
Dubai ‘Smart Safety Bus’ to promote students’ traffic awareness
https://www.zawya.com/mena/en/business/story/Dubai_RTA_launches_smart_safety_bus-SNG_138157902/
https://dubaiinformer.com/502848/dubai-smart-safety-bus-to-promote-students-traffic-awareness/
https://dubaiinformer.com/502848/dubai-smart-safety-bus-to-promote-students-traffic-awareness/
2019 marks the Year of Tolerance for the UAE and in order to show their support, STS drivers and bus guardians came together to make a human mosaic at their annual Staff Appreciation Day.
This activity was organised to encourage peace and stability amongst employees and highlight the importance of people from all backgrounds and beliefs. The STS team is made up of an incredible 15 nationalities and 5 religions whom all came together to share and celebrate happiness.
Below are the news link:
https://gulfnews.com/uae/school-bus-drivers-guardians-pledge-to-drive-safe-in-support-for-uaes-year-of-tolerance-1.1554037722517?fbclid=IwAR07pTk7qqOWcX_dUs-jt0ZZi-R7fjp0RKeoPjZfFtKPyA5IOfF45McH8Ck
School Transport Services (STS) has made dreams come true as we hosted an Iftar for families and friends of the Special Family Support Group (SFS) and gave life-changing gifts to the children as part of our annual ‘Stuff the Bus’ program during the holy month of Ramadan.
SFS a support group who bring families together to help each other in raising their children were invited to the Iftar and took part in activities including painting the school bus before the children were surprised with much-needed gifts to support fulfilling their future dreams and aspirations.
STS in advance of the Iftar visited the homes of some of the families to understand how they could help and support them and identified that essential equipment including hearing aids, wheelchairs and leg braces could make an enormous difference to the children and their families. We stuffed the bus with these gifts for the children which were presented at the Iftar.
Please find the below few links covered by the media.
https://m.khaleejtimes.com/nation/dubai/a-bus-load-of-happiness-for-determined-ones
https://www.thenational.ae/uae/transport-bosses-make-dreams-come-true-for-dubai-youngsters-1.738802
http://www.motherbabychild.com/2018/parenting/stuff-the-bus/
http://dubaiforum.me/stuff-the-bus-makes-kids-dreams-come-true-this-ramadan/
http://www.dubaiweek.ae/families/39894/dreams-come-true-stuff-bus/
STS is one of the supporting sponsors of MENA UITP Congress Exhibition.
The theme of the 2018 edition was ‘pioneering for customer happiness’, recognizing the customer as the core of public transport service and incorporating happiness along with satisfaction.
The agenda of the program as well as the theme echoes with the goals of STS, where we want to ensure the safety, satisfaction as well as the happiness of not just the children that are entrusted us but also of the parents.
Since its launch in 2010, the Dubai Chamber CSR Label has grown in significance to become the highest level of recognition for the CSR efforts of businesses in the Middle East. Developed by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, it is the first CSR Label in the region that builds on international standards while ensuring local relevance.
The Dubai Chamber CSR Label serves as a diagnostic framework and a CSR management tool for the participating companies to develop and improve their approach to CSR best practices, and assess their organizations’ social and environmental impact.
The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry honoured 37 companies for their corporate social responsibility and sustainability efforts during a recognition ceremony held at its premises. We’re proud to announce that we were one amongst the 37 companies awarded for following sustainability practices and strategies.
We participated in the ‘Marking Sustainability Network Achievements’ organised by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 20th March 2018. We were held in high regard for the efforts and contribution rendered towards Sustainability Network and for championing responsible and sustainable business practices in UAE.
We received a note of appreciation for our participation and responsible actions through 2017.
“Thank you very much for your overwhelming response and participation in yesterday’s event on ‘Marking Sustainability Network Achievements 2017’. It was a pleasure to have you with us.
We once again congratulate you for your efforts and contribution towards Sustainability Network and championing responsible and sustainable business practices in UAE.”
It’s the time of year again that we welcome the new registered students during the Orientation Day of our schools. The program was held at the Gems New Millennium, Our Own Indian School and Gems Modern School Orientation Day.
It’s aways been a pleasure to welcome new students and parents to be a part of our STS users list.
At the orientation day event our fun marketing team, along with the STS mascot – The Super Driver, enjoyed handing out goody bags to the students and parents who accepted it with smiles on. The parents and students entertained themselves by clicking away at the STS photobooth.
We look forward to having the new STS bus users onboard, as we continue to provide the best services to our existing users!!
STS was a part of fun activities and carnivals in a number of GEMS schools. We participated in the International Day at Gems Founder School and Mirdiff Private School, the Spring Fair at Jumeirah Primary School and Gems Wellington Academy and, the Family Fiesta at Cambridge International School.
We gave away goodie bags and distributed The Journey, our magazine, to parents and children. Our mascot, the Super Driver had fun with the kids and clicked pictures with them using the phot booth. With all the fun around, we also raised awareness about charitable causes that we are a part of.
Finally, as part of STS’s initiative to spread awareness about school buses and rules for riding on them, we initiated games and activities that would make children more careful while riding in buses to and from school.
Ever spare a thought for the people who make sure school kids get around safely? School Transport Services devoted a whole day to appreciate its school bus drivers and support staff.
In the event hosted by City 1016 Radio presenters Sid and Malavika, colleagues participated in cricket, football, volleyball, badminton, tug-of-war and other fun challenges while bhangra dancers and cheerleaders performed. A ‘Got Talent’-style show had drivers and bus attendants singing and dancing for a panel of judges, including company MD Steve Burnell, Thomas Edelman from Road Safety UAE among others.
The winner was awarded AED 4,000. Awards were also handed out to the employees whose hard work and daily contributions have helped ensure that STS remains one of the
best ways to provide safe, timely and smart service.
Please find the below few links covered by the media.
STS Celebrates Drivers & Support Staff Appreciation Day in Style
STS Celebrates Drivers & Support Staff Appreciation Day in Style!!!
http://algeriatimes.info/story-z1966370http://alshaminfo.com/story-z13764590
http://algeriatimes.info/story-z1966380http://www.uaereview.com/story-z12781405
http://tdailynews.net/story-z9831850http://sdeconews.com/story-z18680515http://omanbulletin.com/story-z10815035
http://aetoswire.com/news/5688/enhttp://q8dailynews.com/story-z5899110
http://q8dailynews.com/story-z5899140http://menafn.com/arabic/1096517346/%d8%25
http://alshaminfo.com/story-z13764660http://www.uaereview.com/story-z12781470
Our CSR-partner Serco, in partnership with RoadSafetyUAE hosted their 2nd ‘Road Safety Awareness Day’ on 10-Oct.
More than 100 delegates from various road-safety committed organizations and the media attended the programme.
The speaker line up included Dubai Police and our CSR partners Serco, MIX Telematics, SafetyMedia, STS, Michelin & Tyreplus and RoadSafetyUAE.
We showcased their latest school bus and staff bus technology.
Tyreplus conducted a free tyre safety check of all attendees’ vehicles with improvement proposals where needed.
We thank our media partners Khaleej Times, Gulf News and The National.
A very big ‘thank-you’ to our hosts of Serco Middle East: David Greer, CEO; Laura Kelly, Safety Assurance Director; Carmine Pereira, Safety and Assurance!
We look forward to welcoming all of you back in 2018!
STS recently joined hands with SmartLife, who are committed to enhancing the lives of blue-collar workers in the city through educational programmes. Our target has been to enhance the English skills of our support staff, therefore providing them with further opportunities, both professionally and personally.
All teachers are volunteers, but Manjula Ramakrishnan, who is in charge of the programme, explains: “The smile on their faces when they see our teachers in their labour accommodation or workplace is motivation enough.”
She goes on to tell us, “Students who walk in full of doubts in Class 1 are the same set of students talking ever so confidently in simple English by session 15. It is something that never ceases to fill us all with complete joy!”
Ms. Renuka Krishnan and CFO of Ingram Micro META, Mr. Krishnan Lakshman are both volunteers in the programme. The drive to give back to society and ensuring upliftment of fellow human beings is the driving force for the couple who spend their free time participating in this good cause.
In keeping with a similar sentiment Shynu Verghese and Retired IT professional and Training Specialist, Ajit Varghese are also enthusiastic teachers who are part of the programme. Ajit says Shynu has always wanted to give back to society by doing something useful instead of simply donating money and things. Ever since she stopped working she has been searching for opportunities to indulge in such activities and offered the perfect platform for them both to feel fulfilled.
The programme continues to gain popularity among more and more support staff who are enrolling in large numbers.
Over the years, authorities have launched various campaigns to ensure school bus drivers, other motorists and pedestrians follow traffic rules around school zones.
At STS, our priority has always been to provide our esteemed customers with safe and reliable transportation services. As part of our goal, we have undertaken various campaigns, in partnership with government authorities as well as private institutions.
Our Managing Director Steve Burnell made an appearance on the segment of a popular radio station 103.8 Dubai Eye’s show Education Matters. The segment titled ‘Drive Live’ goes live on a bus after school, talking to children on the way.
Steve asserted that it is a fact that bus travel is safer than a private car traveling. While speaking about the contribution of STS towards road safety Steve said, “Our drivers are professional seasoned drivers and they’ve received additional drivers licensing tests plus ongoing training and defensive road skills so they can focus on the road and traffic around them”.
At STS, we work with a large number of schools on a daily basis, providing secure transport to over 75,000 students who are all cared for beyond the time they spend in the buses. With state of the art systems in place, we have created a high benchmark in the school bus industry, unlike any other.
STS partnered with Zulekha Hospital as part of PINK IT NOW. This is a breast cancer awareness
campaign between 17th September to 9th November, that intends to inform and impart
education on the deadly disease.
The event at STS was held on 8th and 9th October where participants received a short talk on
symptoms, self-examination and detection of breast cancer by a specialist.
As against popular belief, there are many warning signs to breast cancer however they are
often overlooked by women of all ages. The campaign by Zulekha Hospitals aims to shed light
on these glaring symptoms and prevent the disease at an early stage. To facilitate the same,
they will be providing free specialist consultation and Mammograms at their hospitals in
Sharjah and Dubai.
Following the talk, our beauty partners indulged the audience and pampered them with some
relaxing short beauty treatments that included manicures, pedicures and massages. we are
proud to be a part of the initiative and pledge to continue our efforts in the direction of
awareness and education to prevent breast cancer.
After our Stuff the Bus appeal was announced at the beginning of Ramadan, we were overwhelmed with donations from generous students, parents and members of the public. Together you donated more than 15,000 items of school supplies and 10,000 toys.
On behalf of all of us at STS and on behalf of all of the children who will benefit from your big-hearted donations, we want to say thank you….
Twenty-three schools took part in the campaign and special thanks go to Dubai Library Distributors who donated a large number of school bags and supplies. All of the donations have been delivered to the Emirates Red Crescent which assists children in need in countries including Syria and Yemen.
Thanking everyone involved in the campaign, Col M L Augustine (Retd), Managing Director of STS said, “We know that this will bring smiles to the faces of many children but also help support them to achieve their future dreams through helping to support their education.”
Thank you to the students, staff, parents and friends of:
In May, we launched “Buckle Up” our safety awareness campaign to encourage children and other passengers to wear a seatbelt every time they ride in a car. Our judges were impressed with the creativity and effectiveness of our students’ posters, and it was a tough decision to pick a single winner. In the end, the judges selected three winning entries. They are:
Each of the poster creators wins a month’s free travel on STS school buses and received a certificate of appreciation from STS. As new laws are introduced making it obligatory for all car passengers to wear a seatbelt, we will be using the winning posters as a timely reminder.
The new laws, which come into effect on 1 July 2017, will also see the use of age-appropriate car seats for passengers up to age 10 enforced. While the responsibility lies with the driver to ensure that everyone in the car wears a seatbelt, it’s important that buckling up becomes second nature for children so that they take responsibility for their own safety as they get older.
As the mercury crept towards the 40 degree mark, 19 of STS’ admin and support staff, and 37 employees from BBT Sharjah, enthusiastically jumped at the chance to show thanks to hard-working labourers of the UAE, giving out a total of 1,000 goodie bags. The care packages, containing water, biscuits and personal care items, we delivered in eco-friendly reusable bags bearing the words “thank you” in multiple languages to spread the message of our gratitude far and wide.
With Ramadan just days away, it was a fitting time to thank the hands that help to build this great country. Also in tune with the environmental care and responsibility encouraged during the holy month, and as part of our efforts as an ISO 14001 certified company, we ensured that our actions had minimal environmental impact by using sustainable bags and avoiding plastic landfill waste.
STS regularly hosts blood donation drives for the Dubai Health Authority to give our staff the opportunity to contribute to this noble and life-giving cause. After screening and approvals, 144 donors from STS and GEMS Education were approved for donation, providing a total in the region of 144 pints (70 litres) of life-saving blood to the blood bank.
The DHA applauded all who were involved and encouraged STS to continue supporting their work through future blood donation drives.
If you want to do something amazing and save someone’s life, contact the Dubai Blood Donation Center at Latifa Hospital on +971 4 219 3221 or DBDC@dha.gov.ae.
Bus conductors, female operations crew and administration staff at STS HQ, were given the opportunity to have free Pap smears and gynaecological consultations as part of a cervical cancer awareness drive lead by Dubai’s Zulekha Hospital.
Cervical cancer is caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which is easily detectable via smear or pap tests. All women are encouraged to have regular smear tests and vaccines for HPV are also available. When detected early, HPV and cervical cancer can be treated easily and recovery rates are extremely high.
“Cervical cancer can affect as many as 93 women across the UAE every year,” Zanubia Shams, co-chairperson of Zulekha Hospitals said. “The number of fatal cases among these can be as high as 28. For a disease that can be easily prevented and eradicated through regular screening and vaccinations, we have made it our goal to reach as many women in the emirates as possible.”
STS was among a number of businesses and schools to benefit from Zulekha Hospital’s annual health drive, screening women and raising awareness of cervical cancer in the United Arab Emirates. As part of the visit, our hardworking conductors and administration staff were treated to manicures and mini-massages in the office.
As proud sponsors of the first ever Education Journal Middle East Awards 2017, STS joined around 250 educators at Grosvenor House Dubai on 3 May 2017, to celebrate the region’s best teachers and school teams.
200 nominations were whittled down to the 15 winners which included categories from teaching assistants and subject specialists to departmental teams. All of the winners received awards in recognition of their outstanding contributions to education.
STS presented the prestigious Principal of the Year Award to Sasha Crabb of Victory Heights Primary School, and the prize for Secondary Team of the Year, which went to Dubai International Academy.
This was an important occasion celebrating the work of inspiring and dedicated teachers, and STS remains a proud supporter of education in the region.
In the UAE, it’s all too easy to go from our homes to our cars to our schools, taking barely a step along the way. While it may not involve strenuous exercise, taking the bus to school at least involves walking to the bus stop — and for children who are going to be sitting down in lessons for most of the day every little helps.
Riding to school with friends is fun! What’s more, school bus riders have a chance to mix with children of different ages. You’d be surprised how protective the bigger kids are of the little ones, and how much the little ones enjoy the chance to speak to older children. This builds confidence, social skills and self-esteem.
Getting yourself on the right bus at the right time with all of the bags, snacks and school supplies that you need for the day, teaches children about self-reliance from a young age.
By taking the bus, your contribution to air pollution is dramatically reduced. Buses emit fewer pollutants per kilometre travelled than cars on a per passenger basis, so by taking the bus, you are helping us all breathe cleaner air.
More children on the bus means fewer cars on the road. This means less traffic, lower emissions, safer roads around the schools at drop-off and pick up. The impact of your choice to use school transportation can touch many others in a positive way.
For many families, the start to each school day is a race against the clock — a race to get the kids up, dressed, fed and in the car, racing to get on the road before the rush hour traffic really hits, racing to get to school before the drop-off crush, and racing off again to work or whatever other appointments you have. Now, imagine a school day in which all that stress and responsibility lies with someone else. Calmer mornings, less stressed parents, happier families.
At STS, we take our environmental responsibility very seriously. We aim to adopt sustainable practices wherever possible and seek to reduce the environmental impact of our operations wherever we can. So on 22 April, bus drivers, conductors, operations staff and management came together and gave up their own time to make a difference to the UAE ecosystem. As part of the Give a Ghaf programme, the STS volunteers planted seeds for around 250 Ghaf trees.
The Ghaf is the national tree of the UAE and planting it not only ensures the survival of this national treasure for generations to come, but it also provides a valuable impact for the UAE environment and beyond by:
The United Nations International Mother Earth Day aims to remind us citizens of this planet, that we are entirely reliant on the Earth for our existence and sustenance and, as such, we share a collective responsibility to protect the Earth’s resources and ecosystems.
As part of a raft of new road and traffic rules, the UAE Ministry of Interior has announced a big leap forward in road safety for car passengers.
The laws state:
The responsibility for ensuring that all passengers are properly restrained lies with the driver, who risks penalties of a fine of Dhs.400 and 4 black licence points for failing to observe the law.
The new laws are due to come into effect on 1st July 2017.
The move has been hailed by Dubai Police and road safety campaigners, including STS’s child road safety partner, Road Safety UAE.
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.
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:
Be aware of school buses, keep your distance, keep our children safe.
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.”
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.
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.
