Everything You Need To Know If Your Kids Use School Transport!

Parents whose children use school transport should be aware of the official rules governing when pick-ups and drop-offs can take place.

In a recent parliamentary reply, Education Minister Clifton Grima clarified that under the current contract, school transport for State primary schools cannot begin earlier than 45 minutes before the official start time. Once the school day ends, children must be collected no later than 20 minutes after the official closing time.

For State middle and secondary schools, transport arrangements are slightly different. Because students are collected from a wider range of towns and villages, pick-ups can start up to one and a half hours before school begins. At the end of the day, students must be collected within 30 minutes of the official closing time.

When it comes to non-State schools, there are no specific rules about collection times included in the current contract. Instead, the Ministry for Education has issued guidelines suggesting that transport should not begin more than one and a half hours before the start of school, and never earlier than 6.30 a.m.

However, these are only guidelines, not legal requirements, meaning there is no legal basis for enforcement. Parents and operators are therefore encouraged to coordinate directly with schools to ensure reasonable and safe travel times for all children.

#MaltaDaily