UAE Bus Operator Hikes Fees
School Transport Services (STS) which currently transports over 70,000 students daily for 65 schools across the UAE has announced it will shortly be raising transport fees by AED 30 per month.
According to newspaper reports a circular was distributed to parents of the affected schools in January, stating, "...in order to meet the increased regulatory requisites we are required to increase the transport fees by AED 30/- per month effective 1st April 2017."
Speaking to Khaleej Times, managing director of STS, Colonel M. L. Augustine, said the company had been ‘hesitant’ to increase fees.
"We never want to hike fees,” he said, “but we have reached a point where heavy investment in safety features on our school buses has required us to do so."
STS is used by almost all of the GEMS Group of schools across the UAE, as well as, Safa school, Nord Anglia, ASD, Al Khaleej National School, Kings' School Al Barsha, Repton, Foremarke, and St Mary's in Dubai, and Al Diyafah in Abu Dhabi.
The news is not unexpected, with many within the education sector predicting the increase in global oil prices and additional safety regulations required for school transporters, would have a knock-on effect for the UAE's parents.
