Dual benefits of school buses

- Faced with the reality that many students have to travel 10-20km every day, through dangerous roads to get to school, while most of them are not old enough to drive, posing many potential traffic safety risks, Dinh Lap High School has implemented a student shuttle bus model. The model not only minimizes risks, ensures safety for students, but also helps parents feel more secure in managing and taking care of their children, replacing renting a room or letting children travel without supervision.

Students of Dinh Lap High School on the shuttle bus from Thai Binh Farm town to Lam Ca commune

There are currently two public high schools in Dinh Lap district. Of these, the District Boarding Secondary and High School for Ethnic Minorities mainly serves ethnic minority students, who live in the dormitory area, so there is no need for daily pick-up and drop-off.

Dinh Lap High School currently has more than 650 students, of which about 70% are from remote communes such as Bac Xa, Binh Xa, Kien Moc, Lam Ca, Nong Truong Thai Binh town... Previously, many students from far away had to rent a room or stay with relatives in town to conveniently study high school. However, this form is both expensive and lacks family management, making it easy for students to become subjective and neglect their studies. Since 2022, when economic conditions have improved and means of transportation have become more diverse, many families have equipped their children with motorbikes and electric bicycles to go to school by themselves. However, this poses many potential traffic safety risks, especially in bad weather or when students are under 16 years old. According to statistics from Dinh Lap High School, each year about 20 students violate traffic safety regulations, mainly due to driving underage, not having a driver's license or not wearing a helmet.

Based on that reality, the school's Board of Directors coordinated with the District Police (before the District Police were dissolved) and the transportation unit to conduct a survey on the demand for student transportation. The results showed that many parents, especially those living 10 to 20 km from the school, wanted their children to go to school and come home during the day so that they did not have to live far from home. Among them, the route from Thai Binh Farm Town to Lam Ca Commune had a large number of students (accounting for about 1/5 of the total number of students in the school) and received the highest support from parents.

In December 2024, the student shuttle bus model began to be piloted on this route. The school coordinated with two bus companies (29 seats and 16 seats) to pick up students at 5:00 a.m. in the communes and leave the school at 5:30 p.m. to return home. During lunch break, students can return to their relatives' homes or stay at the dormitory arranged by the school. The cost per student is 700,000 VND/month, which has been subsidized. Compared to the previous cost of renting a room and traveling independently (from 1-1.5 million VND/month), this model is both economical and safe.

After nearly a year of implementation, the school bus model has shown positive results when nearly 90% of students from Thai Binh Farm Town - Lam Ca Commune registered to participate. The number of buses has increased to 4, and the schedule is flexibly adjusted according to the timetable of each grade.

Trinh Anh Thu, a student in class 10C4, shared: My house is in Thai Binh Farm town, about 20km from the school. I used to rent a room but the environment was noisy, the food was simple and it was difficult to concentrate on studying. Since having a shuttle bus, my parents feel more secure, I no longer have to rent a room far from home, and every day I go to school and come home to eat with my family. Thanks to that, I have better conditions to study, rest and always arrive at class on time, even on cold and rainy days.

Ms. Tran Thi Xuan, Principal of Dinh Lap High School, Dinh Lap District, said: We want more than just a means of transporting students to class. Each trip is a humane journey, so that students can study safely and live in the care of their families. After nearly a year of implementing the model, combining propaganda and encouraging students living nearby to walk or ride electric bicycles, the rate of students violating traffic safety regulations in the whole school has decreased by 70-80%, especially the route from Thai Binh Farm Town to Lam Ca Commune has not recorded any violations. The school is continuing to mobilize more support from transportation units to expand the model to more distant routes (over 30km) such as Binh Xa, Kien Moc... to create favorable and safe conditions for students in remote areas to go to school.

According to the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee, this is the first high school student shuttle bus model in the area that is organized systematically and effectively. From a small initiative, the model has become a bright spot, which can be replicated in many localities with similar conditions.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/nep-moi-noi-cong-truong-5048250.html