JEDDAH: As part of new regulations to ensure the safety of learners, the Eastern Province Education Department has set up a system to track the movement of all its school buses, and launched awareness programs for drivers.

This comes after the death earlier this year of young student Nawaf Sulami on a bus. The schools are preparing for the hot summer months ahead, according to a report in a local publication on Monday.

The new regulations require schools to check buses in the mornings and afternoons to ensure no child is left behind, particularly on back seats. Schools must have lists of all students traveling on their vehicles. The new electronic system would ensure buses are tracked on all routes, and allows for complaints about driver behavior.

Saeed Al-Bahes, spokesman of the department, said an operations room would compile reports from schools and parents on services provided, with input then passed on to supervisors if action is needed to correct shortcomings.

The Ministry of Education requires more stringent tests for drivers. It has introduced new buses, with a capacity of 40 to 50 students that will provide an additional 1,150 seats in the region. They have new safety measures including fire extinguishers, emergency doors, seat belts, lights to indicate they are going to move and first-aid kits.