Driven to distraction(2)

"If we see overloaded vehicles or motorcycles on the roads, we can stop them for safety reasons. But some of these parents are just coming to pick up their kids and sometimes they pick up other children as a favor for their friends. If they see the police, they do not drive until the police leave the scene. It's really hard to catch them," he said.

"The school has no school bus to take students home, but I want to make sure my son get home safely. So I come here everyday," said Zeng, the mother of a 7-year-old boy at Tangwan Primary School.

Like most residents in Tangwan town, Zeng is not from Shanghai. She came from Jiangxi Province seven years ago. With no options she has to pick up her son with her moped every day.

"We used to have school buses, but they have been canceled," said Yan Xue, a 10-year-old girl also from the school. She's now responsible for walking her younger sister home everyday.

A teacher, who asked not to be named, helped supervise outside the school at pick-up times. She told the Global Times that most schools had canceled school buses for safety reasons. "They (the school authorities) didn't want to take the risk of operating school buses so they just canceled them," she said.

A daily chore

"As living conditions get better and better in Shanghai, most parents want to drive their kids to school to ensure they get there safely. And this has turned school gates into car parks." This was what Huang Doudou, the famous dancer and a member of the Shanghai Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, told the two sessions earlier in January.

In a proposal he submitted to the political advisory body, Huang suggested that authorities introduce more school buses to the city. They would ease traffic congestion and could free parents from the chore of daily pick-ups.

"But, of course, these buses would be strictly regulated. The construction and maintenance of the buses and the qualifications of the drivers must meet the highest standards to ensure students enjoy both the convenience and safety," Huang said.

Huang Ming, China's Vice Minister of Public Security said in December last year that school buses should be allowed to run on designated routes for buses. "Any actions that interfere with school bus safety will be punished severely," Huang said.

A new look

There are signs of change. Seventeen new school buses have been put into service on Chongming Island this semester. The county government spent 6 million yuan ($953,000) purchasing the new buses, which transport more than 1,000 students studying in the six schools in the suburban areas of the island that lacked public transport.

The new buses include nine of the so-called big-nose buses that are making their debut in Shanghai. These buses look like Western-style school buses with front-mounted engines. A strengthened metal band around the interior makes the vehicle impact resistant and the seats have individual seat belts. The buses are also equipped with security cameras and GPS systems.

The drivers for these buses come from a local bus company. All have more than three years of experience and clean driving records. "This is a good start. The buses did not cost the government much, but they won the hearts of people who were concerned for the safety of their children," said Zhang Jiadong, the professor of public safety at Fudan University.

"In many rural areas of China, there's a big demand for ways to carry children between school and home. But the economic development level in some regions sometimes has meant some schools cannot afford a bus. There's still a lot for the government to do," he said.