‘Transport commission mulls project to operate buses for public school students’

AMMAN — A new plan to regulate the transportation of public school students is currently under study, an official said Thursday.

“The new plan aims at providing safe transportation for students due to the current absence of a regular means of conveyance to take them from home to school and back,” Land Transportation Regulatory Commission (LTRC) Director General Marwan Hmoud said.

Other goals of the project include mitigating the suffering of younger students who have to walk long distances to school, Hmoud told The Jordan Times over the phone.

The projected buses will also limit the number of cars on streets at peak hours, since many parents would not have to drive their children to and from school; thus, the project, if implemented, will contribute to reducing traffic jams and fuel consumption, according to the official.

Hmoud said LTRC is currently studying the logistics required to implement the project and fares, noting that there are more than 1.5 million public school students across the country.

LTRC will set a number of standards and conditions for companies interested in taking part in the project, he said.

The system will be applied in the Kingdom’s main cities, where specialised companies can operate the buses, Hmoud noted, expressing hope that families will accept this new plan.