All school buses back to normal at the beginning of the week

Cyprus Public Transport (CPT) will operate all school bus routes on Monday, the company announced on Friday, saying it has received all automatic fire-extinguishing systems.

The company added that it was disappointed by the inconvenience cause throughout the week, and that they will be back to normal in the coming week.

Issues arose this week with buses, after a school bus caught fire in Aglandjia, Nicosia, sparking debates on the safety of buses on the island, as it was not the first incident.

On Thursday, Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades said buses will be running back to normal by Monday or Wednesday the latest, while students complained that the government has failed to properly inform them.

Speaking to CyBC in the morning, the minister said that the automatic fire extinguishing systems will be installed in the buses. Most affected are school buses.

He added that by Friday afternoon, bus companies are expected to inform the ministry how many extinguishing systems they have received. The minister said that an agreement was also made with the companies to install the systems over the weekend.

Commenting on the certification procedure for buses to be allowed back on the road, he said that licensed professionals will conduct the checks, while a supervisory check will be conducted by the road transport department.

On the rest of the bus fleet, he said that it is made up of new buses that are in a good condition.

Speaking about the contract the ministry has with companies, the minister said an officer has been appointed to investigate the matter, but that on his part it was clear that the companies were required to install the automatic fire extinguishing systems.

However, in an announcement issued on Thursday the student union (Psem) called out the government for failing to inform teachers and students about the actual plan the authorities are following.

They said that the government, more specifically the education ministry, needs to inform students on how that missed lessons will be made up.