In recent years, frequent school bus accidents have triggered widespread public attention, and school bus safety has thus received unprecedented emphasis from all sectors of society. In early February 2012, reporters learned that the new school bus standards, which had once "stirred up a thousand waves" and were highly controversial, had finally come to an end and were expected to be released and implemented in March. On the eve of the implementation of the new standard, are schools and parents looking forward to it or fearing it? Are bus manufacturers waiting or taking action? And what should be done regarding the operating model? To answer these questions, the reporter conducted an in-depth investigation.
A "school bus buying wind" is sweeping across the country
At the start of the 2012 school term, news stories about purchasing safe school buses emerged one after another, making people feel deeply moved: school buses are no longer a dream for children but have become a reality in their childhood.
It was reported that not long ago, the Jinxiu Educational Entrustment School in Pingba County, Anshun, Guizhou Province, purchased a batch of dedicated school buses with its own funds; the local government of Liuhe District, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, spent over 30 million yuan to purchase 100 "long-nosed" new school buses, which began operation on February 7th to transport more than 5,000 students from 32 primary schools; children at the Dongli Central Primary School in Yiyuan County, Shandong Province, now ride new "big-nosed" school buses, no longer needing their parents to pick them up on motorcycles; Chuzhou, Tianchang City, Anhui Province, also purchased 90 domestically advanced school buses to begin transporting students to and from school; the boarding students of the Wen Hui School, the largest private school in Huainan City, Anhui Province, similarly rode newly purchased school buses; in Xinzheng, Henan Province, ten enterprises jointly donated 55 specialized school buses worth nearly 10 million yuan...
Each piece of similar news about purchasing school buses is undoubtedly good news for local children, and also a "stimulus" for places that have not yet purchased school buses. Ms. Lan, a student's parent from Hebei Province, said in an interview with the reporter: "I am also looking forward to the appearance of safe school buses. Now my child attends elementary school 3 kilometers away from home, and needs to be picked up and dropped off every day. My husband and I work, so the task of picking up and dropping off falls to our elderly grandparents, whose health isn't very good, often leaving us in a difficult position."
Mr. Wan, the head of a school in Xuan'en County, Enshi Prefecture, Hubei Province, also told the reporter that he hoped the new national school bus standards would be implemented as soon as possible, so that he could purchase 15 school buses according to the new standards to transport children to and from school.
According to investigations, there are many schools and operating companies like Mr. Wan who are waiting for the new national school bus standards to be issued before purchasing vehicles. They want to buy school buses to make it convenient for students, but are also worried that vehicles purchased before the issuance of the national standards may not meet the standards and fail to achieve the purpose of protecting the safety of children. Therefore, the swift issuance of the standards is undoubtedly a "booster" for children to ride safe school buses sooner.
Bus enterprises spark a "school bus production trend"
By the end of 2011, mainstream bus manufacturing enterprises across the country had already set their strategic focus on school buses. After the Spring Festival in 2012, many enterprises returned to work just a few days after the New Year to "work overtime" producing dedicated school buses.
Yutong started developing school buses relatively early and is currently China's largest professional school bus manufacturer. At the beginning of 2012, Yutong's "long-nosed" school buses were warmly welcomed in various regions, quietly entering more provinces and cities, bringing safety to more children. "Everything starts from safety" is the core of Yutong's school bus product design. In terms of detail design, Yutong's school buses fully consider the comfort and safety of the vehicle, such as softening the inside guardrails, re-adjusting the seats, designing 360° panoramic reversing mirrors, and uniquely creating fire prevention designs with extinguishing bombs... All this fully demonstrates the responsibility of Yutong as an industry leader.
Haige Bus also assumed responsibility in developing "smart school buses", equipping school buses with smart operating systems, aiming to use advanced technology to escort children and open up a safe path for learning for primary and secondary school students. Suzhou Jinlong proposed a strategy of "moving from domestic excellence to international excellence," with specialized operations leading in the bus field, market-oriented, and information technology boosting internationalization, quickly responding to personalized needs of domestic and international customers.
On February 4, 2012, Da Jinlong's full series of "smart school buses" were officially launched under great anticipation. Technical Director Zhou Fangming emphasized in an interview: "Da Jinlong firmly supports the state in setting high technical standards to regulate school bus products and the school bus operation market, contributing a share of the company's efforts to help government departments and operating companies better manage vehicles."
Xiamen King Long also accelerated the promotion of school buses. In the new round of school bus research and development, King Long not only imposed stricter requirements on the overall configuration, safety and comfort, and stability of the vehicles, but also equipped school buses with reverse radars, air conditioners, GPS positioning systems, etc., targeting special demands of some regions, hoping to strengthen the management of school bus operations by recording and monitoring information such as driving speed, time, mileage, and direction, ensuring safety is put into practice.
In fact, bus enterprises intensifying R&D and production of school buses are far more than just these few. Zhongtong, Changan, Shuchi, JAC, and other companies are also "racing against time" producing safe school buses behind the scenes, which we will not list here individually.
School bus operating companies trigger a "management trend"
In theory, before the new national school bus standards are issued, the most nervous should be the school bus operating companies, because if the current school buses they operate do not meet the new standards, they might face the risk of being "phased out." Is this really the case? On the afternoon of February 8, the reporter interviewed Guan Yanji, General Manager of Dalian Guofeng Passenger Transport Service Co., Ltd.
Dalian Guofeng Automobile Passenger Transport Service Co., Ltd. was established in July 2010, specializing in the transportation of students and kindergarteners, with rich experience in managing school buses. It has successively opened more than 120 school bus routes and established operational cooperation relationships with over 50 schools and kindergartens, including Jiabian Education Group, Shangli Art High School, Maple Leaf Kindergarten, Red Leaf Kindergarten, etc., making it currently the only enterprise designated by the Education Committee in Dalian City to manage school buses.
When asked if Mr. Guan was worried about the new school bus standards, his response was unexpected. He said: "The issuance of new school bus standards is ultimately aimed at ensuring the safety of children and promoting social harmony, which is a great thing. As a company specifically operating school buses, since its establishment, we have always regarded the safety of children as the responsibility of the enterprise. Although we are a private enterprise and the government has never given us corresponding subsidies, we have been self-reliant and developed strongly, all for the benefit of children and parents."
Speaking about the safety management of school buses, Mr. Guan expressed: Strengthening the safety management of school buses and maintaining the traffic safety of children should not merely be discussed in certain meetings, mentioned in certain documents, or casually talked about by certain leaders as a "formality," but should be taken seriously because it concerns the lives of children and gives peace of mind to parents. The word "peace of mind" carries the trust of parents in schools and school bus operating enterprises, filled with deep familial affection.
Finally, Mr. Guan stated that the issuance of new school bus standards is merely the beginning of school bus safety. Whether they can be effectively implemented afterward is the key. It is worth noting that multiple modes of school bus operation need to coexist. If relevant departments forcibly implement a "one-size-fits-all" approach to the operating model, it will severely impact the process of industrializing school buses, making safe school buses "out of reach."
Hubei Jiangnan Dongfeng Special Purpose Vehicle Co., Ltd. is a designated production plant by the National Development and Reform Commission, the only company in the "Capital of Special Purpose Vehicles" with qualifications approved by the Ministry of Public Security Fire Bureau for fire truck production, and a modification plant affiliated with Dongfeng Motor Corporation. The main products produced and sold include fire trucks, tow trucks, aerial work platforms, wing-opening box-type transport vehicles, water sprinklers, refueling trucks, chemical liquid transport vehicles, flatbed transport vehicles, mobile power supply vehicles, garbage trucks, and hundreds of other varieties. All models have been listed in the national announcement directory and have obtained ISO9001-2000 quality management system certification, with products passing CCC certification.
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