Parents Demand Safer School Buses in Yehudah and Shomron

Parents of students in schools in Yehudah and Shomron are demanding that the fleet of bulletproof buses used by schools to transport students be upgraded. Parents have threatened not to send their children to school unless something is done to make the bus fleets safer.

The buses are required for students in Yehudah and Shomron, and they have in the past prevented injuries in shooting attacks. But the buses are part of an aging fleet, and the armor plating and super-thick windows that make the buses bulletproof take their toll on parts.

Two months ago, a bus that was taking children to a camp in Beit El caught fire from a still unknown technical reason. The bus, like many others in use, had been in use for at least 16 years, and had logged over a million kilometers. B’chasdei Shamayim, rescue workers were able to remove the children with no injuries ensuing. Other buses have had their brakes fail or have experienced engine problems, including breakdowns of buses loaded with children inside Arab villages.

MK Moti Yogev has demanded that the government do something about the situation, calling it “a danger to life. Unfortunately, the money that has been promised for the improvement of buses has been held up for a long time, despite a promise to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the money would be released immediately.” Yogev said he would continue to press on the issue.