• New electric and biofuel-powered fleet to launch at GEMS’ groundbreaking flagship school in Dubai, GEMS School of Research and Innovation
  • Partnership reflects joint commitment to sustainability, innovation, and student wellbeing
  • Fully green fleet supports the UAE Net Zero 2050 agenda and sets a new regional benchmark
  • Spot2Spot, an all-electric, demand-responsive service, launched for students living near SRI

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: GEMS Education has joined forces with STS Group to launch the Middle East’s first fully sustainable school transport fleet – a pioneering initiative that reimagines how students commute and places environmental responsibility at the heart of the school experience.

The all-electric and biofuel-powered fleet will debut this August at its new flagship, GEMS School of Research and Innovation (SRI) in Dubai Sports City – GEMS Education’s 47th school in the UAE and Qatar.

As part of the launch, STS Group will also introduce Spot2Spot, an innovative, electric vehicle-based transport service designed specifically for students living in close proximity to SRI.

This integrated, sustainable mobility model confirms SRI’s role as the region’s most forward-thinking school and a living platform for climate action and smart innovation in education.

The strategic partnership was formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Jay Varkey, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of GEMS Education, and Steve Burnell, Managing Director of STS Group, at the GEMS Education corporate office in Dubai.

“This partnership demonstrates our unwavering commitment to leading the education sector with purpose-driven innovation,” said Jay Varkey. “The introduction of a fully sustainable fleet, coupled with Spot2Spot’s smart transport model, brings real, measurable value to our families while supporting the UAE’s broader environmental goals.”

James Monaghan, CEO and Founding Principal of SRI, added: “SRI is designed to be a living lab for innovation, wellbeing, and sustainability. Introducing both green buses and Spot2Spot reflects the school’s mission to deliver an education that prepares students to lead in a rapidly evolving world.”

Fleet innovation and Spot2Spot highlights:

  • Spot2Spot: a new, fully electric, demand-responsive model tailored for students living near SRI, offering shorter journey times and reducing local congestion
  • Parent-friendly tech: real-time notifications, student check-in/check-out, and journey updates via the STS transport app
  • Data-led performance monitoring to track environmental and operational impact

Spot2Spot is expected to reduce private car journeys by up to 30%, cut daily CO₂ emissions by 1.2kg per student, and bring average journey times below 30 minutes. By using advanced proximity clustering, the service ensures safe, efficient, and RTA-compliant transport for urban school bus users.

“We’re proud to partner with GEMS Education in launching not only a sustainable fleet but also Spot2Spot, our newest mobility solution that reimagines how school transport should work in modern cities,” said Steve Burnell.

“Operating the service with EVs sets a new benchmark for clean, intelligent, and community-based student mobility.”

Launching this August at SRI, the combined model of green fleet and Spot2Spot service will serve as a scalable blueprint for future GEMS schools and other education providers across the region. Designed with embedded data collection, the pilot will help assess the potential for wider rollout in line with UAE Net Zero 2050 and Dubai’s smart mobility ambitions.

GEMS Education and STS Group share a long-term vision to reduce emissions related to the school commute, improve traffic flow around campuses, and provide safe, smart, and sustainable transport solutions that support students, families, and communities.

About GEMS Education

GEMS Education is one of the oldest and largest K-12 private education providers in the world and a trusted and highly regarded choice for quality education in the Middle East and North Africa region. As a company founded in the UAE in 1959, it holds an unparalleled track record of providing diverse curricula and educational choices to all socio-economic means.

Having started with a single school run from a private home in Dubai, GEMS remains a family business to this day. Its inspiring Founder, Sunny Varkey, and his son, Dino Varkey, who is Group Chief Executive Officer, are responsible for providing vision, insight, and strategy across the organisation.

Every day, GEMS has the privilege of educating students from over 176 countries through its owned and managed schools globally. And through its growing network, as well as charitable contributions, it is fulfilling the GEMS vision of putting a quality education within the reach of every learner.

Every year, students graduating from GEMS schools progress to the world’s best universities. Over the past five years, GEMS students have been accepted into over 1,050 universities in 53 countries including all eight Ivy League universities in the US and all 24 Russell Group universities and colleges in the UK.