Authorities discuss safety measures following vandalism on school bus routes

A series of disruptive incidents and vandalism on school bus routes in Cyprus has led stakeholders to convene an emergency meeting scheduled for Monday. The session will include representatives from three government ministries, parent organizations, the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection, and transport contractors. The primary issue concerns recurring damage on four specific routes, three in Larnaca and one in Nicosia, which recently caused temporary service suspensions.

Loizos Konstantinou, head of the Secondary Education Parents' Association, has proposed implementing student bus passes cancellation for offenders, as well as installing security cameras and deploying onboard monitors to ensure student safety. Cyprus Public Transport (CPT) CFO Tryfonas Hadjichristoforou clarified that service interruptions are not financially motivated, noting an increase in vandalism compared to previous years. The Ministry of Transport has committed to covering the costs for security personnel on affected routes to mitigate the problem.

While the company has previously submitted video evidence of vandalism to the police, stakeholders indicate that these efforts have not yet yielded sufficient results. The upcoming meeting aims to finalize a comprehensive strategy to manage student conduct and protect public transport infrastructure throughout the remainder of the school year.