PHILIPSBURG-Caretaker Minister of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sport (ECYS), Lyndon Lewis, has signed multiple service-level agreements (SLAs) with school bus operators in St. Maarten.
In a press release on Sunday, it was announced that these agreements are intended to standardize and enhance the management of school bus services. The SLAs cover important aspects such as designated routes, standards for buses and drivers, responsibilities for bus operations and student supervision, as well as remuneration and insurance requirements.
Lewis also expressed satisfaction with the Council of Ministers’ approval of a new Student Transportation Management System. According to the statement, the system is designed to improve the structure and efficiency of student transportation, which has become increasingly expensive and difficult to manage.
Lewis noted that school busing costs have escalated, averaging over NAf. 4.5 million annually, due to the lack of proper organization and limited staff to oversee operations. The new system is expected to address these issues by streamlining the administration and management of bus services.
However, Lewis acknowledged that several administrative steps still need to be completed before the system can be fully implemented, without specifying the details of those processes.
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