Free school buses from September

THIRTY thousand secondary school students living in major towns will travel to and from school for free this September, the Road Transport Department (RTD) said yesterday.

The initiative is an extension of an existing scheme involving free bus runs for students living in rural areas and is estimated to cost €30 million for 2009.

Two hundred and twenty buses in Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos will shuttle students to and from the towns’ gymnasiums and lyceums, easing rush hour traffic and saving parents time and money.

Although there are an estimated 40,000 to 45,000 students in secondary education, the plan will initially only cover two-thirds of the population. This is a step up from the existing scheme, which has so far only allowed free transportation for children living in certain areas and for children of refugees and large families.

The scheme was drawn up by the RTD, in collaboration with urban bus companies, and was examined in detail at a recent meeting between Communications Minister Nicos Nicolaides, Permanent Secretary Makis Constantinides and RTD Director Soteris Kolettas.

The principal aspect of the plan is that the buses will cover the vast majority of each town on a daily basis, with special bus stops planned to facilitate the students.

Seventy buses have been allocated to both Nicosia and Limassol, 45 to Paphos and 35 to Larnaca. The plan is to cover 50 per cent of all four main towns’ gymnasiums and lyceums.

Commenting, senior road transport engineer Yiannis Nicolaides told the Mail: “The main aim is to reduce traffic in the morning which is a major problem.”

He said the plan also had environmental benefits as it would cut down on carbon emissions during rush hour.

“Parents will also save a lot of time and money,” he added.

Meanwhile, the authorities are looking into the possibility of altering existing urban bus routes, during busy periods such as the morning and lunch hour, in order to allow for the transportation of even more students.