1079 school buses have been inspected before the start of the school year. During the inspections, 137 prescriptions were issued to eliminate identified irregularities. Five acts were also drawn up for technical malfunctions of buses and for uncertified fire extinguishers. One case of worn tires was also identified. This was announced at a briefing by the executive director of the Executive Agency "Automobile Administration" Boyko Ranovski, quoted by Nova TV. He specified that the inspections cover buses provided by the Ministry of Education and Science (MES), as well as vehicles with which schools have contracts with private carriers for transporting children during the school year.
“Traditionally, every year before the opening of the school year, the Executive Agency “Automobile Administration“ organizes and carries out inspections of all buses that will transport children during the school year. The goal is to guarantee safe and secure transportation“, said Ranovski.
According to him, the inspections take place in two stages. First, checks are carried out on the drivers' documents and whether they meet the requirements for transporting children. “There are clearly written rules. Then there are inspections of the vehicle itself. It must have the relevant documents, be registered, have a valid technical inspection, and the condition of the vehicle is also checked on site - tires, appearance and everything that guarantees the safe transportation of children“, Ranovski explained.
The inspections will continue after the start of the school year, with the focus being on the safety of the transportation of children. It will be monitored whether the transportation is carried out by competent drivers, whether all necessary documents are available and whether the buses are technically sound.
“After the start of the school year, we will conduct repeated inspections to assess whether these regulations have been met. If they are not, we will take action against the violators“, Ranovski said.
He explained that children from the respective municipality benefit from the school buses. The vehicles have been provided to municipalities to organize the transportation of children from small settlements to schools on their territory.
“The Ministry of Education has distributed so many buses that there are enough to provide transportation for all children“, assured Ranovski.
According to him, at the moment there are no signals of serious problems with the transportation of students. “The buses follow the schedules, they pass along approved routes, it is mandatory for children to be accompanied by an adult - a teacher“, he added.