Many UAE children take the bus even if some can walk to school
The average time a child spends on a school bus is approximately one hour — even if you live two kilometres away from the school and use the school bus.”
Gizala Khazi, parent
My son goes by bus and he can’t wake up early, so every day is a struggle. His school is 13km away and it takes less time by car, but since he travels on a bus, he has to leave early.”
Sadia Gul,
parent
How often do you see students riding their bikes or walking to school in Dubai? Despite a growing number of schools opening in various neighbourhoods — most are within walking distance of residential areas — going to school by bus remains a popular option among parents and pupils.
According to a 2018/2019 education report by property consultant Knight Frank, 46 per cent of students use school transport; 53 per cent of a school’s students reside within a five-kilometre radius; and 70 per cent of the survey’s respondents agreed that they have witnessed a decline in their schools’ catchment diameter due to a wider array of choices available.
A parent of two children, Gizala Khazi, said it takes her kids 20 minutes to get to school from their home, and they use the bus.
“The average time a child spends on a school bus is approximately one hour — even if you live two kilometres away from the school and use the school bus,” she said.
“Students will be picked up as per schedule. Those picked up first would be dropped off first and those picked up last would be dropped off last. So, it doesn’t matter if a school is far or near. If it’s a very good school, we wouldn’t mind sacrificing on the buses’ timings.” As for riding their bikes to school, Khazi said she feels “too protective” of her kids to allow them to do that.
Another mum of two, Sadia Gul, believes cycleways and proper pedestrian lanes have to be set up for children who may want to ride their bikes or walk to school, especially in areas where construction works are ongoing.
“There should be a cycling track. My son goes by bus and he can’t wake up early, so every day is a struggle,” she said. “His school is 13km away and it takes less time
by car, but since he travels on a bus, he has to leave early. Walking or cycling to school, I think, is not an option as it’s hot here as well.”
Some students have insisted that even if they can’t cycle all the way to their schools, they are able to get their daily morning exercise by
walking to their bus stops. Arun Sinnamari, a student at Our Own English High School, rides the bus to school every day.
“The reason I prefer the school bus is because it keeps the students active. We walk for a few metres to give ourselves some physical exercise. This helps us do a morning walk. We may not get this exercise if we use a car to go to school,” he said.
A student at GEMS Wellington International School, Samay Dadlani, said: “I always use a school bus. Aside from the physical activity I get to do, the walk towards the bus stop also gives me the chance to be more sociable. It’s fun to take a stroll with many other schoolchildren of different ages.”
There are a few kids, however, who use the Dubai Metro to reach their schools. Kajal Abhay Narsian, a student at The Indian High School in Dubai, finds this form of transportation more convenient than the others.
“I love to travel via Metro because I get to reach school much earlier. It’s easily accessible, too, as our home is within walking distance of a Metro station and my school is also near one. Therefore, I get to do my morning walk as well,” she said.