By Noor Nazzal http://www.zawya.com
Dubai: A hike in school bus fees has left parents asking who regulates the amount charged by outsourced companies.
Parents voiced their concern after a private school in Dubai more than doubled its school bus fees from Dh2,400 to Dh5,000 per year.
Agha Shoaib, the father of two children who go to Pristine Private School, told Gulf News that he was told of the increase via a circular sent to parents.
“They informed us through a circular they sent out stating that they had doubled the price of the bus fees and they said that the reason for the increase was because they had outsourced to another company,” Shoaib said.
“My concern is who guarantees that they won’t sign another contract and increase the prices even further?
“I contacted the RTA [Roads and Transport Authority] and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority — however they both stated that they were not in charge of regulating bus fee increases. I do not know who else to turn to.”
The school states on its website that it has recently contracted Progressive Transport to provide transportation services to and from various parts of Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman.
“We did not increase the fees but we have outsourced to a transportation company registered in Dubai because the school’s bus fleet has increased considerably from around 10 to 22 buses. The company has its own fixed charges which depend on the market needs,” said a spokesperson from Pristine Private School.
Gulf News also spoke to the outsourced company’s coordinator, Fatima. S., of Progressive Transport, who said the fees were based on a fixed rating and that the Dh5,000 fee was in fact cheap when compared with many other schools in Dubai. More info
