Abu Dhabi-UAE: 12 May, 2015

Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC) has launched a conformity scheme for school bus drivers and supervisors to enhance the quality of school transportation services within the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Developed in collaboration with School Transport, comprising members of the Department of Transport - Abu Dhabi (DoT), Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC), the General Directorate of Abu Dhabi Police (ADP) and the Child Protection Center in the Ministry of Interior, the scheme aims to certify school bus drivers and supervisors for compliance with the requirements and standards set by Abu Dhabi regulators and industry experts. The initiative also seeks to ensure that school transport services are provided in conformity to the highest quality and safety standards.

Under the newly launched conformity scheme, drivers and supervisors are mandated to go through a five-stage process of training, testing, accreditation, licensing and continued monitoring.

The scheme also stipulates a training component to enable drivers and supervisors to acquire the required skills to fulfil their job functions. These include conducting routine inspection of vehicles before and after daily trips, maintaining an adequate level of physical fitness to perform tasks required as drivers, appropriately using all machinery and and tools available on the bus, demonstrating desired behavior with children, communicating effectively with parents, wearing appropriate attire and maintaining proper grooming and high personal hygiene.

Drivers will also be trained to act appropriately in emergencies or during the urgent evacuation of the bus, follow safe driving rules in different weather conditions or traffic situations, choose right tracks and traffic diversions as required, and follow relevant rules to ensure the safe entry and exit of passengers.

A Trustmark, issued by QCC, and license will be granted to persons that achieve certification upon the successful completion of formal testing in accredited centers. While helping to distinguish between qualified and unqualified workers, the conformity scheme will enable trained drivers and supervisors to present evidence of meeting standards stipulated by Abu Dhabi's qualifications framework.

Mohammed Helal Al Balooshi, Marketing & Communications Director at QCC, said: "The certification scheme for school bus drivers and supervisors is part of our ongoing efforts to enhance the quality of school transport services and ensure the safety of our society at all times. QCC collaborated with the relevant regulatory bodies and industry experts in Abu Dhabi to develop regulatory standards that comply with the emirate's quality framework, while empowering qualified and certified personnel in the school transportation sector to deliver safer services."

"We have currently certified a total of 416 drivers and supervisors out of a potential 456 applicants. We will continue to work with relevant entities to encourage school transportation companies to adopt these safety standards on a mandatory basis. Our ultimate aim is to consistently provide enhanced standards of services that in return will offer a better quality of life for people in Abu Dhabi through creating a safer, more diversified and productive economy," Al Balooshi added.

The Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council was established in 2009 to raise the quality of Abu Dhabi's exports and products traded locally. QCC sets guidelines and benchmarks to identify and verify that products manufactured and traded in the emirate conform to the highest quality standards. In addition to protecting the interests of Abu Dhabi's consumers, QCC is mandated to support its competitive economy and facilitate its integration into the global marketplace. This is achieved through enabling regulators to establish and implement product safety, legal metrology and conformity schemes.

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© Press Release 2015