Ma'an, April 28 (Petra) - Ministry of Education and a consortium of local and international companies on Tuesday signed the final operating agreement for the pilot "proof of concept" project for school transportation in the Southern Badia region and Aqaba, during a ceremony held in Ma'an governorate.

This step signals the start of the project's implementation at the beginning of the next academic year.

On its goals, the agreement aims to regulate the two parties' contractual relationship to implement the project, in partnership with the private sector, aimed to transport public school students, teachers, and staff in the operational areas.

The agreement was signed by the Minister of Education, Dr. Azmi Mahafzeh, and representatives of the participating consortium of companies.

In presence were Minister of Investment, Dr. Tariq Abu Ghazaleh, Governor of Ma'an, Khaled Hajjaj, and the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Education for Administrative and Financial Affairs, Sahar Shakhatreh.

The agreement will serve as the project's first phase, which is part of a wider government initiative to develop the school transportation system and provide safe, regular, and free transport services for students.

This effort will contribute to easing the financial burden on families, enhancing student attendance, and supporting the educational process.

The project will be gradually expanded to cover all governorates of the Kingdom.

During the signing ceremony, Mahafzeh stated the project represents a "significant" step in supporting the Kingdom's education sector and improving the learning environment for students.

He said the project reflects the government's commitment to providing a "safe and equitable" learning environment for all students and addresses a key challenge facing families, which is school transportation.

The project, he stated, offers "sustainable" solutions that ensure students can reach their schools easily and safely.

On the service, he said the project's first phase covers operating 156 modern buses serving 61 schools, comprising approximately 9,000 students and 900 administrative and teaching staff.

He noted the project encompasses a "comprehensive" set of safety standards, specialized training programs for drivers and bus assistants and buses armed with the latest safety technologies and electronic monitoring and tracking systems, and a free, unified app that allows parents to monitor their children's movements.
//Petra// AG

28/04/2026 15:28:32