After intensive consultation and discussion, the "School Bus Safety Management Regulations (Draft)" was reviewed and approved in principle at the State Council ***utive Meeting.

　　The draft basically defines six ideas regarding school bus safety: ensuring that students can attend school nearby; governments at or above the county level are responsible for overall safety management; assigning special personnel to look after students on the bus; setting school bus use permits; granting school buses priority in traffic; and clarifying legal responsibilities.

　　Although this is a huge progress, the most critical school bus funding sources and operation management model are still unclear, and the school bus system has not yet been established.

　　In early February 2012, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Finance held a symposium on school bus work, inviting relevant personnel from the Development and Reform Commission, education and finance departments of more than a dozen provinces, cities and counties in the east, middle and west to listen to opinions from all regions on the main policy contents of the "Guiding Opinions on Establishing a School Bus System" (hereinafter referred to as the Guiding Opinions).

　　Reporters learned that the guiding opinions have preliminarily formulated "exploring school bus operation and management models according to local conditions" and "school bus funding guarantee and cost-sharing mechanism."

　　"The national-level guidance does not involve specific methods, and the adjustments will not be too big." Participants in the above-mentioned symposium believed that since the funding part involves more departments and the game is more complicated, it has not been announced yet.

　　Government-led and adapted to local conditions

　　According to the aforementioned participants, the keynote of the school bus operation and management model is still "government-led, social participation". Under the premise of adhering to public welfare, school bus services can be provided by market social forces, and the government mainly plays the role of regulator, while providing certain financial subsidies to the society.

　　This is also a concentrated reflection of the experience of the six pilot areas for school buses for primary and secondary schools across the country launched by the Ministry of Education since August 2011.

　　Summarizing the experiences of the six pilot projects, we have mainly explored several categories: operation by professional companies under government leadership, operation by social companies subsidized by the government, operation by social vehicles subsidized by the government, and operation by school buses purchased by the government for use by education departments.

　　The draft guidelines also basically agree with these methods, encouraging the establishment of operation centers under government leadership or the government to purchase operation companies.

　　However, what role the government should play has become a focus of debate.

　　"Most people believe that a special school bus company should be established and operated by the market, rather than the education bureau or schools," the above participant told reporters.

　　Wu Xianggui, director of the Tianchang Municipal Education Bureau of Anhui Province, once suggested that public welfare operation should be temporary. In the long run, "the government should adopt a market-oriented and corporate operation mode, with the government purchasing its services as a consumer and the enterprise assuming all its responsibilities as a transporter and operator."

　　At the same time, the guidelines also impose strict restrictions on the entry threshold for school bus service providers and drivers, including the need to comply with the School Bus Safety Regulations and be reviewed by local governments.

　　On this basis, local governments can explore operation and management models that are in line with local conditions. We will also strongly support pilot projects in cities and counties. Among them, the biggest challenge for local governments is the design of school bus funding and cost-sharing mechanisms.

　　Related costs shared by the central and local governments

　　The main theme of the above guidelines is to raise funds for school buses through various channels such as financial subsidies, tax incentives, and social donations. However, how to arrange the finances and how to provide tax incentives still needs to be explored by local governments.

　　The draft guiding opinions have confirmed the general principle of incorporating compulsory education school bus service funds into the fiscal budget, and made specific provisions for the "central-local sharing" situation.

　　The cost of purchasing school buses is shared by the central and local governments, while the cost of operating school buses is mainly borne by local governments. At the same time, rewards and subsidies are given to some needy areas in the central and western regions and the eastern region.

　　The central government's finances will focus on supporting school buses for rural primary and secondary schools in central and western regions, which coincides with the suggestion of Zhou Hongyu, deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Hubei Provincial People's Congress, to "start in rural areas and implement in steps."

　　"It is estimated that the regional arrangements for compulsory education funding in rural areas are similar, with different proportions of transfer payments between the eastern, central and western regions," said the above participant.

　　Xiong Bingqi, vice president of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, believes that the approach of implementing different transfer payment ratios for the eastern, central and western regions is truly feasible.

　　"The key is to first solve the problem of school bus equipment in the central and western regions. In the subsequent operation process, as long as the financial system is transparent, the charging pricing mechanism is open, and social participation and supervision are carried out, the problems will be easy to solve." Xiong Bingqi said.

　　In addition to the central government's investment, school bus operations will be based on the principle of "non-profit" or "micro-profit", with special subsidies arranged by local finances and reasonable fees charged, and can only be implemented with the approval of the provincial people's government. This is also the experience of the school bus operation pilot areas.

　　In addition, the draft guidelines propose that students from rural low-income families can ride school buses for free.

　　The guidelines have formulated a series of preferential financial and tax policies for school bus manufacturers.

　　The reporter learned from Shandong, Hubei, Zhejiang, Anhui and other provinces that the annual business tax, vehicle inspection fee and annual review fee for a car will add up to more than 10,000 yuan. "Without subsidies or preferential treatment, it will be difficult for small businesses in the central and western regions to survive," the general manager of a car company in Hubei told reporters.

　　The draft guidelines propose to provide financing and loan support to enterprises that develop and produce school buses; exempt enterprises from consumption tax and value-added tax on school buses; and exempt school buses from vehicle purchase tax and vehicle and vessel tax.