Every morning and late afternoon, in front of the school gates, there is a scene of cars tailing each other, motorbikes packed, parents rushing to take their children to school...
Some people have to ask to go to work late, some people take advantage of leaving work early, some families rent private cars to pick them up and drop them off because they have no other choice.
That is not only a traffic story but also a burden that has lasted for many years for millions of families.
Therefore, Quang Ninh's preparation to pilot free school buses from the 2026-2027 school year is a social security policy aimed at children and families.
According to the project, in the first phase, the province plans to arrange about 65 30-seat buses, build about 150 pick-up and drop-off points for students and a parking system to serve operation.
In particular, parents can track the bus journey in real time, knowing that their children have gotten on the bus, got off the bus and arrived at school safely.
The application of digital technology helps increase transparency, create peace of mind and improve service quality.
What is more noteworthy is that this policy correctly addresses a very practical need of the people.
Each school bus operation will mean that dozens of motorbikes and private cars will not have to jostle in front of the school gate. Traffic congestion is reduced, the risk of accidents is reduced, and pressure on parents is also reduced.
That benefit is not only for families with children going to school but also for the whole community.
Especially for workers working in shifts, workers working far from home or business households that have to open early in the morning, school buses will help them feel secure in working, no longer having to race with their children's school hours.
A policy for children but creating more conditions for adults to focus on production, business, and increase labor productivity. That is the value of a social security policy designed correctly and accurately.
In mountainous, remote, isolated, border and island areas, the significance of this model is even greater.
It is possible that investing in vehicles, building pick-up and drop-off points and organizing operation will require a significant source of funding, but this is a long-term profitable investment.
School buses not only bring traffic benefits but also contribute to ensuring safety for children, reducing social costs, improving the quality of life and building the habit of using public transport from a young age.
The important thing is that after the pilot phase, Quang Ninh province needs to carefully assess the effectiveness of the number of students using it, the level of safety, operating costs and people's satisfaction to complete the model.
If done well, this can completely become a valuable experience for many other localities to refer to.
