After extensive public consultation, the State Council announced the "School Bus Safety Management Regulations" (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations") on the 10th, which will be implemented from April 10, 2012. Unlike the draft for comments, students in compulsory education are the objects of school bus service, while young children are not included. In addition, the controversial "school bus service life of 8 years" clause has been removed in the official regulations.

　　Students in compulsory education are protected

　　In 2011, several students and young children died in school bus accidents, and the cost of their lives attracted national attention. In December 2011, Premier Wen Jiabao called for the introduction of school bus safety regulations as soon as possible to bring school bus operations under the scope of law and regulate them to reduce casualties among minors.

　　On December 11, the State Council Legislative Affairs Office put out a draft for soliciting opinions nationwide. After three months, the official regulations were announced and implemented yesterday.

　　Compared with the draft for comments, the biggest change is the service objects of school buses. The draft for comments stipulates that passenger cars with more than 7 seats used to pick up children or students from kindergartens, primary schools, middle schools, etc. are all school buses.

　　The official regulations narrow the scope: a school bus refers to a passenger car with more than 7 seats used to pick up and drop off students receiving compulsory education.

　　The head of the State Council Legislative Affairs Office said in an interview with the media that it is too risky to let children aged 3 to 6 who have no safety precautions and self-protection ability take school buses together every day. In order to reduce the traffic risks of children entering kindergarten, the system arrangement should be based on the principle of ensuring that children can enter kindergarten nearby and be picked up by their parents.

　　To this end, the Regulations also stipulate in the Supplement that local governments at or above the county level should reasonably plan the layout of kindergartens to facilitate children to attend kindergartens nearby. Children entering kindergartens should be picked up and dropped off by their guardians or adults entrusted by them. If there are special circumstances where it is impossible for guardians or adults entrusted by them to pick up and drop off children, and it is necessary to use a vehicle for centralized pick-up and drop-off, special school buses for children designed and manufactured in accordance with national standards for special school buses should be used, and the provisions on school bus safety management in these Regulations should be followed.

　　8-year usage limit removed

　　When the draft for soliciting opinions was first released, some of its clauses caused controversy at the grassroots level.

　　At that time, the draft for soliciting opinions stipulated that if the school bus has been in use for more than 8 years or the mileage exceeds 200,000 kilometers, the school or school bus service provider shall return the school bus signs to the traffic management department of the public security agency.

　　"The validity period of school bus signs is only eight years, which is not reasonable," Liu Baofeng, director of the safety office of the Wudi County Education Bureau in Shandong Province, once told reporters, "We have calculated that it will take nine years for school buses in Wudi County to recover their costs. If they cannot be used after eight years, it will be difficult to continue to operate school buses, and the government will be under great pressure."

　　School bus signs are a government management tool for school buses. According to the draft for comments, without a school bus sign, there is no qualification to operate a school bus.

　　Wudi County is a school bus pilot unit designated by the Ministry of Education, and its situation is quite representative. Therefore, Liu Baofeng also reported this situation to the State Council Legislative Affairs Office.

　　When the official regulations were issued, Liu Baofeng received feedback: their suggestions were adopted. The official regulations made this more vague. The regulations stipulate that if a vehicle with a school bus sign reaches the scrap standard or is no longer used as a school bus, the school or school bus service provider shall return the school bus sign to the traffic management department of the public security agency.

　　School bus funds are raised through multiple channels

　　Where the money for operating school buses comes from has always been a topic of great concern. "How to invest in school bus operations is a complex issue, and it is difficult to introduce relevant policies in the short term. But this is the most critical issue. If the money issue is not resolved, the implementation of the regulations will be in vain," Chu Zhaohui, a researcher at the Central Academy of Educational Sciences, told reporters.

　　The "Regulations" issued this time also stipulate that the first thing to consider is the reasonable layout of schools to ensure that students can attend school nearby or in boarding schools, reducing the transportation risks for students going to and from school.

　　For rural areas where it is truly difficult to ensure nearby enrollment and public transportation cannot meet the needs of students for commuting to and from school, governments at or above the county level should try their best to provide school bus services.

　　In addition, the official regulations also added provisions stating that the state will establish a mechanism for raising school bus funds through multiple channels, and support the use of school buses to pick up and drop off students in accordance with regulations through various means such as financial subsidies, tax incentives, and encouraging social donations. The financial funds required to support school bus services will be shared by the central and local governments, and the specific measures will be formulated by the financial department of the State Council. The tax incentive measures to support school bus services will be formulated in accordance with the tax management authority stipulated in laws and administrative regulations.