By Ben Musanje
Police have tightened regulations governing the transportation of school children, directing public service buses and other vehicles carrying students to obtain clearance before operating outside their authorized routes and warning that no school transport will be allowed to travel beyond 6pm.
The directive comes as schools prepare to break off for holidays, a period when many institutions rely on buses and other public transport vehicles to take students to designated pick-up points where they are collected by parents and guardians.
Traffic Police spokesperson Michael Kananura said school transport journeys must be undertaken between 6am and 6pm, warning that vehicles found transporting students beyond the permitted period will be stopped and parked until the approved time.
“Beyond that, we will not allow any bus transporting students to move. We shall park them till the time that is recommended for them to move,” Kananura said during a press briefing at Police headquarters in Naguru on Monday.
The restrictions apply not only to school-owned buses but also to public service vehicles, including commuter taxis, that may be used to transport students.
According to Kananura, buses, particularly those operating as Public Service Vehicles (PSVs), have approved route charts and cannot simply divert from their authorized routes to pick up or drop off students without obtaining the necessary permission.
He said buses that are to operate outside their usual routes must obtain clearance from the Ministry of Works and Transport before undertaking such journeys.
“We all know that these buses, especially the PSV buses, have route charts they operate on. So if they are to violate that and go for these children or students, they must have that clearance from the Ministry of Works and Transport,” Kananura said.
The vehicles must also have valid inspection reports and comply with all applicable inspection requirements before being used to transport students.
Drivers, police said, must have valid driving licences and mandatory PSV or Private Motor Omnibus (PMO) badges, alongside other required documents.
Kananura further warned drivers against speeding, dangerous overtaking, excessive loading of students and unsafe transportation of luggage, including placing luggage on top of vehicles.
The enforcement measures follow a recent operation in which police intercepted six of 10 school buses carrying students to Tanzania for sports activities.
The affected buses belonged to Gombe Secondary School, Seroma Christian High School, Nabisunsa Girls Secondary School, St. Cyprian High School Kyabakadde, Light College Katikamu and Katikamu SDA Secondary School.
Police found several violations, including expired driver badges, drivers operating without badges, vehicles operating outside their authorized routes and some buses without the required PSV or PMO documentation.
The drivers recorded statements at Njeru Police Station and were released on police bond before being escorted back to their respective schools with the students. They were required to report back and answer relevant charges in court.
The other four buses involved in the trip were found to be compliant and were allowed to proceed. They belonged to St. Mary’s College Kitende, Namiryango Boys School, Gayaza High School and Mbogo High School.
Kananura said all the buses had obtained clearance from the Ministry of Education and Sports, but stressed that such clearance does not exempt vehicles or drivers from complying with traffic laws.
He said school administrators and transport operators must separately ensure that vehicles have valid route charts, licences, driver badges, inspection reports and PSV or PMO requirements.
“No clearance should be treated as a substitute for compliance with road safety requirements,” Kananura said.
He urged school administrators to liaise with the nearest traffic police before commencing journeys, saying officers can help schools verify whether drivers and vehicles meet the required legal and safety standards.
The police warning is particularly significant as schools increasingly use buses to transport students to collection points at the end of term, a practice Kananura described as preferable to having large numbers of parents travel individually to schools to pick up their children.
However, he said the convenience of using buses must not come at the expense of safety.
Police also warned that the same restrictions apply to commuter taxis and other vehicles used to transport students. Such vehicles must be mechanically sound, properly licensed and operated in accordance with traffic regulations. They must also observe the 6am to 6pm travel window when transporting students.
Kananura said drivers must comply with all traffic laws throughout the journey and warned that violations would attract arrest and prosecution.
The Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety, he added, will continue conducting intelligence-led and targeted enforcement operations to ensure that vehicles carrying children are roadworthy and operated by qualified and compliant drivers.
The police warning comes amid heightened concern over road safety, particularly during periods when large numbers of students travel between schools and their homes.
Kananura said the responsibility for protecting children on the roads rests with everyone involved in school transport, including school owners, administrators, transport operators, drivers, parents and students.
He also appealed to members of the public to report vehicles transporting students in breach of safety requirements, particularly in areas where police enforcement may not be immediately visible.
“Where there is no compliance, the law will take its course,” Kananura said.
The Directorate said its priority remains the protection of life and urged schools and transport operators to treat compliance with road safety requirements as a responsibility rather than relying solely on administrative clearance to undertake student journeys. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
