Han Ximin

    FOLLOWING a string of school bus accidents, the Ministry of Public Health on Dec. 15 had ordered tougher measures to check school bus violations and force drivers to give priority to school buses. Before we talk about priorities, we need decent school buses.

    In rural areas, students tend to walk to school or take pedicabs or tricycles. In one accident, the school bus was too poor to carry people. Once students are crammed into such small spaces, the danger of accidents having serious consequences increases.

    Such school buses can be seen in the street in a big city like Guangzhou. Children in the countryside should be afforded the same rights.

    Giving school buses priority in traffic, even giving them the same priorities as police cars, is not the key to safety. To solve the problem, the government needs to invest, rather than speculate.

    In the United States, school buses are given priority and school bus quality is guaranteed. The school bus drivers enjoy government benefits and stable income, though it was not very high. We don’t expect China’s school buses to be luxurious, but they should at least be safe.