School bus regulation becoming widespread but looser

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Last month, China Car Times reported on a terrible school bus accident in Gansu Province, which killed 21 children. This event shocked the whole nation. On 28^th November, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao ordered the corresponding department must enact a safety regulation within one month.

Legislative Affaire Office of the State Council has published the draft of School Bus Safety Regulation way before the deadline.

This regulation is the first widespread one for school bus. Rather than a recommendation, it must be observed by every bus and van for students in the whole country. This regulation is more than a technique standard. It covers every aspect of school buses, including manufacturing, identification, sale, operation and driving, etc. School buses must equip warning sign and should be identified by the authority. A school bus cannot be used after 8 years or 200,000 km lifecycle – shorter than an ordinary bus. The regulation also defined the responsibility and punishment for overload, overspeed or even accident.

However, the regulation seems looser than former ones. A school bus should be a bus or van with 7 or more seats, and meet the following four demands, according to the new regulation. First, it should be owned by school or school bus operator. Second, it should measure up to national standards for school buses and vehicles. Third, it should equip warning sign and special painting. Forth, it should take out corresponding insurance. But according to The Safety Technique Specifications of Special School Bus for School Children published in 2009, the bus should equip 10 or more seats. This contradiction may indicate that a new identified school bus should not measure up to all standards in the specification.Considering the former specification looks like a recommendation that few buses for children observe it, the new looser but widespread regulation is stronger indeed.

All buses for children should be replaced by official buses within 3 years of the law being introduced. If this will come true, Chinese bus market will increase about 30% in the coming 3 years. Most school buses will be vans and buses measured between 4 meters to 10 meters, so the large bus market will benefit less in this instance.

Nevertheless, to realize this goal is not easy. The big market of school is in the country, where many children have to go to schools 10 kilometers or farther away. The safer school bus will increase the cost of their commuting sharply. For example, a school can use a 9-seater van to transit 60 children now, but they have to buy and operate 8 same vans or 2 large bus. The regulation did not mention detailed solution of the high acquisition and operation cost. Moreover, the risk cost also cannot be ignored. According to the regulation, schools, bus operators and drivers will all take more responsibilities, so they will unlikely to join school bus operation unless they can get more money from the students.

Money is the most important factor of school bus generalization. The government must enact financial policy for school bus if they don’t want anyone drop out because of the inevitable increasing commuting cost.