One of Malta’s main players in transport eCabs has launched a new service line for school transport.

In a statement, eCabs said that COVID-19 spurred the company to innovate and use a fleet of highly sanitised people carriers to run a school transport service.

“Once again we are raising the bar. We are humbled by the response of the parents who chose to trust their children in eCabs’ hands, confirming the high regard there already exists about our health and safety standards.”

“Unlike traditional school runs, we are also offering the service of collection and drop-off outside the children’s home, rather than the traditional meeting-point, translating into more convenience but even more safety for the children to remain within the proximity of their home until picked up,” eCabs said.

eCabs’ fleet procedures include an intensive sanitisation process, whilst all drivers are equipped with disinfectant sprays and wipes to constantly sanitise all high touch areas within the vehicle.

Fewer children than the maximum capacity per vehicle are being accommodated to avoid overcrowding, improve safety and respect social distancing provisions even within the van.

Eight-seater people carriers which have been deployed are purposely selected to reduce the number of children in contact with each other in every run and as little as six children are being accommodated in each 8-seater. In the case when 16 seaters are being used, the number of children has been limited to 11.

The eCabs drivers have been given specialised one-to-one training related to the varying guidelines and requirements of the different schools, with hand sanitiser provided on board each vehicle being used and the assurance that all children wear their masks onboard. Attendance is also being taken per trip to further enhance the safety and tracing of the children on each trip.

All routes have also been optimised through the eCabs proprietary data platform, to minimise the transit period from home to school and vice-versa.

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