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SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said smaller buses tend to suffer more damage in accidents, compared to bigger vehicles.
The issue of school bus safety is expected to be debated further when Parliament sits in two weeks. Some MPs said they want to make seatbelts mandatory on all school buses.
At Yu Neng Primary School, teachers regularly remind students about the importance of road safety and the need to belt up. The students seem to be getting the message.
"We must wear seatbelts, because if the bus jerks, we may fall and (get) injured," said a student.
Another said: "If you never wear seatbelts, the driver could jam the brakes, and you may fly out of the window."
Yu Neng Primary School's buses all have safety belts, but not all public schools require their buses to have seatbelts installed. Even schools that engage buses with seatbelts do not make it mandatory for students to wear them.
Some schools said they are taking a wait-and-see approach, before making the move.
LTA said in countries where seatbelts are mandatory, the requirement is usually limited only to small buses because studies have shown that big buses can better absorb the impact of a collision due to their design, size and weight.
Bus operators have pointed out that not all seatbelt systems are suitable for minibuses, and older vehicles will take longer to retrofit. They added that enforcement would remain a practical problem.
"Singapore kids won't wear seatbelts. You have to make them do it. Once the bus leaves the school gates, they'll remove the belts," said a school bus driver.
School bus drivers also said that with the seating capacity reduced, some costs will be passed on to parents. But even so, some said they expect to make at least 20 per cent less.
"No choice, what to do? No choice. We hope they (the parents) can give a bit to us," said a school bus driver.
Some said if losses are too high, they may switch to ferry more workers and international students instead.
School bus drivers currently charge students at local schools between S$65 and S$170 a month, about half of what international students pay. - CNA/ac
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