New system for school buses: To be mandatory like UTTS

The Ministry of National Education (MEB) plans to require all school buses to be equipped with a new tracking system called "Serviscell" in order to monitor school buses in real-time and improve service quality. It is reported that if this system is made mandatory for vehicles, the cost that service companies will face will be between 12 thousand and 30 thousand liras. Sector representatives state that these increased costs will inevitably be reflected to parents.

Service operators emphasize that they are struggling economically due to the increasing burden of mandatory technology, and they also warn that they may have difficulty participating in tenders. Concerns are being raised, particularly that bused education services in rural areas could be disrupted.

Beyond the cost burden brought by the system, sector representatives, stating that different tracking devices are already actively used in service vehicles, are of the opinion that making the new system mandatory will lead to unnecessary expenditures.

In its statements, the MEB stated that its goal is to increase student safety and ensure that transportation services can be monitored more effectively.

İYİ Party Group Deputy Chairman Turhan Çömez brought the issue to the agenda of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Çömez stated, "The system is being directed to a single company (Turkcell). Even though service operators already have tracking systems in their vehicles, the new device is being made mandatory," while directing the following questions to Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin: "Is it true that this device and software are only provided by a specific company? What kind of process was followed in terms of competition and public procurement legislation?"

Recently, the National Vehicle Recognition System (UTTS), aimed at monitoring fuel consumption for commercial vehicles, had also caused similar debates. In that application as well, device and software fees were demanded from vehicle owners, and sector representatives had argued that existing systems were sufficient. Now, a similar cost and competition debate has been brought to the agenda in the field of educational transportation with the Serviscell application.

News Source: 12punto