jordan pulse -

​Mahmoud Hayasat, media spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, stated that the national free school transportation project will launch on a trial basis on Sunday from the Southern Badia, within a two-year government partnership valued at up to 5 million JOD. He emphasized that the project serves as the nucleus for a national initiative aimed at expanding gradually to cover various regions.
​Speaking to Al-Mamlaka, Hayasat explained that the relevant ministries and institutions are working institutionally to finalize the technical and logistical requirements necessary to launch the project. Participating entities include the ministries of Education, Public Works, Interior, and Transport, with the goal of providing safe, free school transportation for students.
​He noted that the project has received positive feedback from parents and the local community since its early stages, serving as a qualitative addition to the educational ecosystem by offering safe, free transportation for students to and from their homes.
​He pointed out that the pilot phase produced feedback that is currently being reviewed and addressed, noting that the most prominent observations relate to the expansive geographical nature of the Southern Badia and its scattered residential communities. This requires optimizing routes and delivery mechanisms to ensure service reaches students in widely dispersed areas.
​Hayasat indicated that the first phase will deploy 120 buses serving around 61 schools, providing transportation for more than 9,000 male and female students, in addition to over 900 teaching and administrative staff members.
​He affirmed that these observations constitute feedback that is being utilized to enhance the project's operational efficiency ahead of expanding the initiative to other regions, particularly the Northern and Central Badia.
​He stressed that the transportation service will remain completely free, with the government covering all associated costs as the project expands to encompass all governorates across the Kingdom.
​He explained that the distance between homes in certain areas poses a logistical challenge, as distances between houses can exceed 20 kilometers, which could affect arrival times and the morning assembly. He noted that the ministry is studying alternative solutions to address these cases and guarantee that students benefit from the service.
​Regarding coordinating bus schedules for students, Hayasat said the ministry is working according to logistical plans and spatial analysis mapping home and school locations to analyze routes. This allows aligning distance with travel time to ensure students arrive at school on time and return home safely.
​The Southern Badia represents the initial phase of the project, launching with approximately 120 buses serving 61 schools and providing transport to nearly 9,000 students and 900 teaching and administrative staff, with plans to gradually expand the project to cover all governorates nationwide in the future.
​Source: Rum News Agency