Saudi Arabia lowers operational age limit for school buses to 10 years

The official gazette Umm Al-Qura published amendments on Friday to the executive regulations governing educational transport, reducing the maximum operational age for school buses from 12 years to 10 years from the year of manufacture, while introducing a mechanism for conditional extensions.

The amendments allow, by exception, the extension of a bus’s operational age beyond 10 years if it holds a valid operating permit. The maximum age may reach 15 years for buses with a capacity of more than 15 passengers, and 12 years for buses with a capacity of 15 passengers or fewer.

To qualify for an extension, the amendments require that the bus pass a technical inspection every six months after exceeding 10 years of age. An operating permit will only be issued or renewed if the bus has passed an inspection within the previous six months.

The amendments set the validity of operating permits at one year for buses within the standard operational age, and six months for those with extended service. In all cases, the permit’s validity cannot exceed the expiry date of the license, operational age, vehicle registration, or technical inspection certificate—whichever comes first.

Additionally, the amendments restrict the operation of buses with extended service life to the city where they are licensed. Other buses may continue to transport students between cities as permitted.