UAE schools weigh up bus fee increases as fuel prices rise

Some headteachers say increase of up to 20 per cent necessary while others avoid charging parents more

Hundreds of thousands of pupils are taken to and from school each day using American-style yellow buses. Though not mandatory, many parents choose the service over a hectic morning run in their own car. Satish Kumar / The National

Fees of several thousand dirhams per year are common, with schools typically outsourcing the service to a provider. Jaime Puebla / The National

Large schools such as Indian High School, pictured, have a fleet of their own vehicles, drivers and attendants that ferry pupils around the city in a complex operation. Ruel Pableo / The National

Before the summer break, several schools said they will have to increase prices in line with fuel prices, while others said they would take the hit instead of passing it on to parents. Satish Kumar / The National

One school said it wanted to invest in biofuel vehicles for environmental reasons and to safeguard against future hikes in petrol and diesel. Pawan Singh / The National

Headteachers in Dubai and Sharjah are weighing up whether to pass on higher transport costs to parents as the price of petrol rises.

Several schools told The National they have already made the decision to raise the monthly charge for pupils who get collected on morning shuttle runs.

Others said they were weighing up whether they could take the hit instead.

In line with rising global oil prices, drivers in the UAE have been paying more for fuel in the past few months, with a 10 per cent rise in March and a 16 per cent increase in April.

On Tuesday, the government set the price of diesel, Special and Super at more than Dh4 ($1) per litre for June. The UAE ended what was in effect a subsidy on oil prices in 2015 to promote sustainability and for fiscal reasons.

Shiny Davison, director of learning at Gulf Model School in Dubai, said: “Being a low-fee school we thought it would hit our parents badly.

“But unfortunately, with the rise in fuel prices in order to sustain transportation, we have to increase the school bus fees. We will have a minimal increase.”

Her school's buses are owned by a third party, with the services outsourced, but the school is responsible for buying fuel.

It charges parents Dh300 to Dh450 per month to collect their child from home and return them in the afternoon. Tuition fees at the low-cost school range from Dh350 to Dh650 every month.

From September, pupils living in nearby suburbs around the Muhaisnah campus will see a Dh25 per month increase, while those living further away will pay Dh50 more.

“It is not at a loss at present but could go into a loss if we continue without a small hike,” said Ms Davison.

Sharjah price rise approved

In Sharjah, several private schools have already told parents to expect an increase of up to 20 per cent from September, which they said was approved by regulators at Sharjah Education Authority.

Ehab Mohammed, 39, from Egypt, said he will pay Dh3,960 per year, up from Dh3,300, for each of his two children who go to Rosary Private School.

He had hoped that bus prices would fall, given that Sharjah cut its five-day working week down to four days, in a global first earlier this year.

“We understand the increase in fuel prices but there is also the fact that the school week in Sharjah was cut by one day,” he said.

Amin El Nezami, who owns Victoria English School in Sharjah, said he has not increased transport fees since 2016.

He said there were no plans to increase tuition or transport fees this year, but urged parents to bear in mind the school's financial situation.

“Given the recent hikes in fuel prices, our power bills have increased from Dh20,000 to Dh80,000 a month,” he told The National.

Mr El Nezami said he recently bought a major order of education books from England and was shocked when the bill was almost Dh1.8 million ($500,000) — twice what it was some years ago.

He said the increase was attributed to high shipping costs and other price rises.

Biofuel buses an option

In Dubai, the Indian High School in Oud Metha, the largest school in the country and spread over three campuses, operates its own fleet.

Punit MK Vasu, chief executive, said he was monitoring fuel prices and planned to invest in biofuel vehicles in the near future.

“The easiest thing to do is to pass the cost to the consumer. That’s not what we do as a community school. We need to evaluate options,” said Mr Vasu.

“The team is looking at purchasing buses which use biofuels as it’s a greener and better option and will help in terms of price surges.

“We do not intend to factor in any increase [in transport fees] but that could change depending on the situation.”

Mr Vasu said he hoped authorities would consider approving electric vehicles for use in the market.

Fully-electric buses are being considered by UAE authorities but have yet to be approved for use in this market.