556 school bus drivers trained at launch of the Abu Dhabi chapter of the STS Group school bus Safe Driver Campaign

STS Group has always prioritised passenger and staff safety. Being a responsible transport operator, they actively conduct extensive training programmes all employees, covering road safety practices and policies, soft skills, and the STS Code of Conduct.

556 school bus drivers and 150 bus guardians were trained during the Abu Dhabi campaign launch event at the Abu Dhabi GEMS United Indian School. At the event, speakers from Integrated Traffic Centre (ITC) Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Police and the top management from STS Group engaged with the workforce of hundreds of school bus drivers and school bus attendants / guardians on matters of entrenching the STS Group safety operating principles, safe driving practices, as well as transport laws and regulations.

Steve Burnell, STS Group Managing Director, said “The safety of our customers and employees will always be our priority. School bus safety begins with positive and professional driving behaviour. The Safe Driver Campaign serves as a platform to ensure our values of Safe, Timely, Smart resonate with every employee in the workforce.”

STS Group invests in state-of-the-art smart bus systems that are designed to ensure the safety of passengers and staff onboard, and the school bus drivers and guardians remain key to school bus safety. The Safe Driver Campaign focuses on the following key areas:

1. Unobstructed bus cameras.
2. Zero use mobile phones whilst driving.
3. Mandatory seat belt use.
4. Alert contact process.
5. Managing personal time and the impact of fatigue.
6. Vehicle shutdown safety procedures.

Thomas Edelmann, Managing Director of RoadSafetyUAE adds “Statistics show that more than 90% of road accidents happen because of human error. Responsible fleet operators like STS Group must continuously educate their school bus drivers on anticipating the possible errors of other road users and keep training their defensive driving skills.”

A short and informative video on the key safe driving practices, developed by the STS Group, was featured at the event. The video elaborated on the ‘Do’s & Don’ts’ of safe driving and advised the school bus drivers on the safety protocols they must adhere to during bus journeys. Going forward, the campaign video will serve as a platform for instruction during staff training. A performance analysis platform has been developed to measure the effectiveness of the training workshops.