Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades promised that every single school bus in the country will undergo a safety inspection before the beginning of the next school year in September, as he addressed the House transport committee.
He said that the road transport department “began a series of inspections last August” and “identified problems in the bus service”, adding that as such, inspections will continue this summer.
“The goal is to inspect all the buses, to remove from service those which have not been properly maintained, and to place in … service only those which meet the specifications. There is no room for it not to be completed by September. School bus services will be completed and will operate safely,” he said.
He explained that for a bus to legally be able to be used for school services, it must have a three-month MOT certificate, and added that in light of this, his ministry is not only inspecting the buses themselves, but also evaluating the centres at which buses are examined for roadworthiness.
Additionally, he said, throughout the course of the next school year, in addition to the requirement for buses to have valid MOT certificates, sample inspections will be carried out at various points, with the education ministry partially privately outsourcing this initiative.
Committee chairman and Elam MP Sotiris Ioannou said that he plans for the issue of unroadworthy buses to be raised at the committee after the summer recess.
“Our goal and purpose is that no bus which poses a safety risk should be on the roads transporting children,” he said.
Disy MP Charalambos Pazaros, meanwhile, said that children’s safety is “non-negotiable”, and also said that it is “not possible for school buses not to show up on time for scheduled technical inspections or for vehicles which are deemed unsuitable”.
As such, he called for stricter checks and “effective implementation” of the existing rules, as well as “deterrent sanctions” on inspection centres which break the rules.
Akel MP Yiannakis Gavriel said that while “safety must be the first priority”, “implementable measures are needed” to encourage people to use buses, saying that “instead of increasing the use of buses, people are moving away from them”.
Meanwhile, Alma MP Litsa Drousioti said asked for “clarity” regarding “who is accountable” for examinations which are not carried out, and on “which sanctions are imposed” on rulebreakers.
“The lack of trust in buses concerns not only safety, but also schedules and routes,” she said.
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