At the end of 2023, Auto-Region first offered the market a modern school bus model designed to improve the safety and comfort of children.
The company has produced the first school bus in Ukraine with air conditioning and an automatic fire extinguishing system in the engine department and a number of other safety systems.
Ukrainian schoolchildren need safe and comfortable school transportation in virtually all regions of Ukraine. Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, this transport has been used for the needs of the Armed Forces or for evacuation of the population, and some of the school fleet has been disabled, destroyed or stolen by the Russian army. However, today the safety of children during each trip remains an integral component that requires the highest attention and protection measures. In particular, the quality of educational services, especially in rural areas, depends on regular transportation of students to school. According to a study by the New School, Ukraine needs more than 2,000 school buses.
The road accident statistics are also disappointing. In the first ten months of 2023, 19,743 road accidents with injuries and deaths were recorded. 2,492 people died as a result of these accidents, and another 24,774 were injured. This is evidenced by Opendatabot data.
The most common causes of road accidents are exceeding the safe speed limit (38.5%) and violation of maneuvering rules (22.5%). In 2023, the number of accidents involving children increased significantly - by 10% compared to the same period in 2021.
That is why it is extremely important today to offer the Ukrainian market safe and comfortable school transport that will have a speeding warning and a lane departure warning system, which will help avoid numerous fatalities.
The school bus AR-SB-29-TEMSA is equipped with the following safety systems as standard:
- anti-lock brake system;
- anti-slip system;
- electronic stabilization system;
- electronic braking system.
"We are currently negotiating with a Ukrainian company to use a Smart Bus system that informs about the route and equips it with a warning and multimedia system, the nearest shelters in case of alarm, and in the case of a school bus, the system allows parents to see their children online while traveling," commented Mykyta Haidamakha, Temsa project manager.
This model is innovative and contains the latest safety technologies for the passenger transportation segment, such as:
- collision detection systems with automatic stopping;
- lane departure warning system;
- engine compartment fire extinguishing system.
"Our goal was to develop a school bus that would not only meet Ukrainian standards, but also exceed the expectations of Ukrainians from transportation. We are convinced that we have to change the approach to passenger transportation and take care of the safety and comfort of passengers. The way it is done in the developed world. Therefore, the new school bus has low fuel consumption, meets Euro 6 environmental standards, has a long service life due to 15 stages of anti-corrosion treatment and energy efficiency of components. In addition, the school bus has air conditioning and individual heating. We have implemented European innovations and high-quality Ukrainian components in domestic production," comments Mykyta Gaydamakha.
In 2024, Avto-Region plans to increase the level of localization to 25%, which will allow it to meet all European requirements and comply with the national standard DSTU 7013:2009.
The organization of transportation of children by school buses is carried out in accordance with the current regulatory legal acts of Ukraine on ensuring road safety and passenger transportation by buses, in particular the Law of Ukraine "On Road Traffic", the Law of Ukraine "On Motor Vehicle Transport" and the Rules for the provision of passenger road transport services. School buses must meet the requirements of the National Standard of Ukraine DSTU 7013:2009 "Buses specialized for the transportation of schoolchildren. Technical requirements".
Ukraine has a list of requirements for a school bus. Given the significant number of accidents and fires on buses, it is important to supplement this list with more efficient and modern safety and comfort systems, given the conditions of martial law, constant air raids and other unforeseen circumstances.
In addition, given the status of Ukraine's negotiations with the EU, transport policy will be changing in line with the requirements and standards of the Green Deal, which aims to reduce emissions from transport by 90%. Ukraine is facing a transformation of its transportation system, and new standards and requirements are already being laid down.
Therefore, it is extremely important to be ahead of the curve and produce vehicles that will meet these requirements in the future.