Anyone driving through Dubai on a weekday morning knows the scene. Long queues outside school gates. Parents double-parking for quick drop-offs. Roads slowing to a crawl between 6.30am and 8am.
To ease this daily pressure, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is set to pilot a school bus pooling initiative in the first quarter of 2026. The move is designed to reduce congestion around school zones and offer families a practical alternative to private car drop-offs.
Instead of each school operating its own buses or parents driving individually, students from different schools within the same area will share buses. The idea is simple but impactful: fewer vehicles on the road during peak hours, smoother traffic flow, and a more organised school commute.
The initiative places Dubai among cities testing shared mobility solutions for everyday challenges, especially those affecting families and residential communities.
What the School Bus Pooling Pilot Is About?
The pilot will be rolled out in partnership with Yango Group and Urban Express Transport, following the signing of two memoranda of understanding with RTA.
Under this model, shared buses will serve multiple schools located within defined geographic zones. Students travelling along similar routes will be grouped together and transported using optimised schedules.
Technology will play a key role. Smart systems will manage trips, track vehicles, and monitor daily operations. This allows better planning, quicker response to issues, and higher service reliability for parents and schools alike.
RTA has confirmed that the project will fully comply with all approved safety, security, and regulatory standards governing school transport in Dubai. Safety checks, driver regulations, and vehicle standards will remain strictly enforced.
For parents who rely on school transport, this pilot aims to offer a dependable and affordable option without compromising on safety.
School Traffic Has Become a Growing Concern
Dubai’s population growth and expanding school network have placed increasing pressure on roads, especially in residential areas with multiple schools close together.
According to RTA, there has been a noticeable rise in the number of private vehicles used to transport students. This trend has directly affected traffic movement around school zones, particularly during peak hours in the morning and afternoon.
Ahmed Hashem Bahrozyan, CEO of RTA’s Public Transport Agency, highlighted that the increase in private car usage has become a major contributor to congestion. Many parents prefer driving due to convenience or limited transport options that suit their schedule.
By introducing a pooled school transport model, RTA aims to shift behaviour gradually. The focus is not only on reducing traffic but also on improving daily mobility for students across the city.
This approach reflects Dubai’s wider vision of encouraging shared transport while keeping everyday life practical for residents.
How the Pooled School Buses Will Operate?
The school bus pooling initiative is built around efficiency and smarter planning. Schools will be grouped within specific zones, and buses will operate along routes designed to minimise travel time and avoid unnecessary detours.
Key features of the pilot include:
- Shared buses serving students from multiple nearby schools
- Route optimisation based on student locations and school timings
- Live vehicle tracking and operational monitoring
- Full compliance with RTA school transport regulations
Bahrozyan explained that the initiative explores new transport models based on pooling principles. The aim is to improve vehicle use, reduce congestion during peak hours, and raise quality standards in student transport services.
The pilot phase will help authorities assess whether this model can be expanded across Dubai in the future.
Part of Dubai’s Long-Term Traffic Planning
This initiative builds on several traffic measures already introduced by RTA to improve conditions around schools.
In 2024, Dubai approved a traffic plan focused on encouraging greater use of school transport. That policy alone was expected to improve traffic flow around school areas by 13 per cent.
During the same year, RTA completed eight school traffic improvement projects covering more than 37 schools. These upgrades included road widening, improved entry and exit points, additional parking spaces, and traffic diversions. Together, they delivered a 20 per cent improvement in peak-hour traffic flow around school zones.
The new pooling initiative adds another layer to these efforts by addressing one of the main causes of congestion: too many individual vehicles arriving at the same time.
This also ties into Dubai’s broader push for smarter mobility solutions, similar to initiatives seen in public transport expansion and traffic management across major roads.
Industry Partners Saying
Yango Group’s Regional Head, Islam Abdul Karim, described school transport as one of the most complex daily mobility challenges faced by cities. Through the pilot with RTA, Yango will support a data-led transport model that groups students travelling along similar routes into shared buses.
Urban Express Transport’s Founder and CEO, Dr. Mohammad Al Hashimi, said the project aims to reduce congestion, improve bus usage, and enhance the daily travel experience for students.
Both partners see the pilot as an opportunity to test a scalable solution that could reshape how school transport works in Dubai.
for Parents and the City
For parents, the initiative could mean fewer traffic delays, less stress during school runs, and a safer, more structured transport system for their children. For the city, it represents a practical step towards reducing congestion without major infrastructure changes.
While the pilot is still at an early stage, it signals a clear shift in how Dubai plans to manage school traffic in the future. Shared solutions, supported by technology and regulation, are becoming part of everyday urban life.
As Dubai continues to grow, managing peak-hour congestion around schools will remain a priority. This school bus pooling initiative could play a key role in shaping more efficient and family-friendly mobility across the emirate.
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