TGA Tightens Student Transport Rules for New School Year

The Transport General Authority (TGA) has tightened the rules governing student and school transport ahead of the new academic year, aiming to raise safety standards for schoolchildren across the Kingdom. Educational transport is a regulated land transport activity, and operating without a valid TGA license is not permitted.

For establishments, an educational transport license requires commercial registration in the transport activity, a minimum of five buses, a registered main center and national address, and technical linking with TGA and other required government systems. Applications are submitted through the TGA electronic portal “Naql.”

Individual operators may run the activity with a single vehicle owned directly or through financing. Conditions include Saudi nationality, a minimum age of 25, a valid Saudi driving license for the vehicle category, a clean criminal record, passing a TGA-approved medical exam and a professional competency test, and completing a first-aid course along with any additional training required for the year.

Vehicle and safety standards

Vehicles for individual educational transport must have between 7 and 9 seats and be no older than five years from the year of manufacture. All school transport vehicles must meet TGA age and technical standards, and be fitted with an active, monitored GPS tracking device offering live access to the school or operator coordinator.

Onboard requirements include a valid fire extinguisher, a first aid kit, functional seat belts for all seats, working emergency exits, and in-vehicle cameras on licensed buses. Each bus must display clear “School Bus” signage on both sides and the rear, carry a yellow public transport plate, a STOP arm on both sides, and show a customer service number along with the license, operating card, and bus numbers front and rear.

Operators are also bound by operational obligations, including providing a replacement vehicle within two hours when needed. For families, these measures make licensed school buses easier to identify and offer greater reassurance about the safety of daily school journeys.

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