Proposal seeks to recruit jobseekers and retirees for student transport
A national transport scheme using qualified jobseekers, retirees and housewives to drive pupils and university students has been proposed as a way to cut family costs and give Bahrainis a new source of income.
MP Dr Muneer Suroor has called for a regulated co-operative model that would bring citizens into the student transport trade, with both drivers and cars required to meet safety, health and technical rules.
He said the scheme would build on transport work already taking place rather than add another layer of rules.
‘Taking children to schools and universities is a daily need for many families, while we have citizens looking for work or extra income,’ Dr Suroor said.
‘Why not bring the two needs together in an organised and safe model that benefits both sides?’
Under his proposal, drivers could be grouped by neighbourhood, school or university, allowing several trips to be planned around the same areas.
Dr Suroor said this could cut the number of cars on the road at busy school times, make journeys work better and bring down what families pay.
Parents could also use an app to see the driver and car assigned to their children, arrange payments, follow trips and rate the service.
Drivers would have to meet safety and fitness rules, while cars would need to pass the required technical checks.
Training and start-up help could be offered to Bahrainis who want to enter the trade.
Dr Suroor said private firms and the relevant state bodies could work together on the scheme without placing a heavy running cost on the public purse.
‘Our aim is not to compete with existing transport companies,’ he said. ‘It is to widen the market, organise it and give citizens the chance to take part in it and earn from it.’
He added: ‘Every service need in society can, with good organisation, be turned into an economic opportunity for citizens.’
Dr Suroor also praised work by the relevant authorities to license private and individual transport services and raise safety standards.
His proposal comes as the new school year begins.
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