Amman, April 7 (Petra) -- The Ministry of Education on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with a consortium of local and international companies to implement a pilot "proof of concept" project for school transportation in the Southern Badia region and Aqaba.
The agreement aims to establish cooperation between the two parties to develop an integrated solution covering all aspects of the school transport system for students and staff in selected southern areas, with flexibility for adjustments.
According to the memorandum, a total of 61 schools will be targeted, including schools within the Jordan Complex in Aqaba, serving 9,089 students and 849 staff. The areas covered include Al-Husseiniya District, Udhruh District, Al-Jafr District and al-Murayghah District, under the Southern Badia Directorate of Education, as well as Al-Hasa District under the Tafila Directorate of Education, Al-Quwairah District and Aqaba Governorate Center under the Aqaba Directorate of Education, and Al-Qatraneh District under the Karak Directorate of Education.
The project is intended to provide organized transport services with direct impact, enhancing student safety, facilitating access to schools and improving learning outcomes through the introduction of a modern, reliable and sustainable school transport system in Jordan. It also covers planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the pilot project, along with data sharing, stakeholder engagement and strengthening operational readiness.
Under the memorandum, and following the signing of the final operating agreement, the consortium will assume responsibility for transporting public school students and teachers in the targeted southern areas for a period of 24 months, in line with the school calendar and ministry-approved schedules. The estimated cost stands at 27.5 Jordanian dinars per student and/or teacher, based on target group numbers and overall per-passenger costs. The consortium will deploy an initial fleet of 115 new school buses across the selected areas, with scope for expansion and modification during the contracting phase.
The consortium will also install advanced safety technologies on board the buses, including driver and passenger behavior monitoring systems, blind-spot and collision warning systems, and an integrated emergency alert system linked to the relevant national alert system. This will be complemented by internal and external CCTV systems, secure backend access, event recording and retention, and role-based supervision.
In addition, the consortium will provide a fleet management platform supported by GPS tracking, speed monitoring, route compliance and service-level performance analytics, as well as event playback and reporting capabilities. The system will include student identification and attendance tracking via smart cards or facial recognition, along with automatic notifications to parents upon boarding and disembarking through a unified mobile application. The app will allow parents to track bus locations in real time, receive status updates and access limited camera viewing when necessary. Passenger information systems will also be installed on buses to display route details, stops and safety guidance, as well as school announcements and time-sensitive alerts.
The consortium will further establish an operations and control center for route planning, scheduling, live monitoring, driver communications and incident response, in addition to performance dashboards and periodic reporting. It will also train drivers and bus assistants on safe driving practices, emergency handling, onboard system usage, student protection and service quality standards.
Under the memorandum, the ministry will define the target group of students and teachers; provide the consortium with relevant data, including numbers, residential locations and schools; and oversee implementation and evaluation through the relevant departments and directorates of education, alongside overall supervision of all provisions of the agreement.
//Petra// AF
