POND ISLAND, Philipsburg Sint Maarten – About 1000 students have now registered to make use of the school bussing service provided by Government, in the Register and Ride on the School Bus Campaign. The Campaign which started on August 2, 2021 is an effort of government to reintroduce school bus cards and to improve the quality of the school bussing service.
Although all students are permitted to use the service, up until September 2021, only students who have registered and obtained a bus card from the Government of Sint Maarten via their schools will be permitted to make use of the school bussing service after September 2021.
In order to gain access to the service, parents and students have been making use of an online registration form at www.sintmaartengov.org/registerandride. The registration form solicits information about the student, their parents and the needs to and from school. All registrations must include an ID or Passport of the student and Parent or Guardian as well as a photo of the student to be attached to the ID. Parents and Guardians are also required to accept the conditions for the support which indicate minimum standards for behaviour of students while making use of the school bussing service.
The Ministry of ECYS met with School boards and School Management last Wednesday August 4, 2021 and parties have agreed to support students and parents of their schools, who require assistance to finalize the Online Registration process. Therefore, parents who are still unable to complete the registration are requested to inform their child’s school and request support. In addition, persons seeking additional information can contact the Register and Ride the School bus Team at RegisterandRide@sintmaartengov.org.
Although about 1000 students have been registered to use the School Bussing Service during the last week, the Ministry recognizes that some may not have been successful as the system experienced glitches during the past week. Some of which are still being resolved by the ICT Department of Government. Persons completing the Online Registration are encouraged to use an up-to-date Internet browser, such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge and to be patient in the uploading of images of Identification and the student’s photo.
The Registration process is slated to close on August 12, 2021, therefore all parents are requested to take the necessary steps to have their child registered to make use of the School Bussing Service provided by government. Bus cards will be distributed to the schools for each child who has registered as soon as these become available. All students will continue to use the service as per normal until the cards are available to all students who have been registered.
The Ministry looks forward to the continued collaboration with students, parents, School Management, TEATT, the Ministry of General Affairs and the Ministry of Justice in the full implementation of this change in the manner in which school bussing is delivered.
