School buses will start operating in 20 days in the Federal District.
The buses were received from the Federal Government through the Caminho da Escola (School Route) program; the vehicles will serve full-time schools and will be used for extracurricular activities; "It is important to emphasize that regular student transportation in the Federal District meets 100% of the needs," said the Deputy Secretary of Education of the Federal District, Jacy Braga.
Brasilia Agency The Department of Education of the Federal District is expected to put into circulation within the next 20 days the first buses received from the Federal Government through the Caminho da Escola program. The buses will serve full-time schools and will be used for extracurricular activities.
"It is important to emphasize that regular student transportation in the Federal District meets 100% of the needs. The new buses will complement the existing fleet and are intended exclusively for full-time education," explained the Deputy Secretary of Education of the Federal District, Jacy Braga.
Of the one hundred vehicles transferred through the program, the Federal District government received 76 in July of this year. The buses were handed over to the management of the Brasília Public Transportation Company (TCB). From July until now, the company has inspected the quality of the vehicles, requested repairs, and carried out the inventorying of some units.
"Bureaucracy is forcing us to delay delivery, but we are in a hurry to get the buses on the road. We are in the final stages of the administrative procedures," he said.
According to Braga, the Department of Education will transfer R$ 5 million to TCB for the management of transportation. "As soon as the first installment is available, TCB will make emergency contracts to put the buses into circulation, such as fuel, labor, spare parts and tools," explained the company's president, Carlos Koch.
"Brazlândia will receive the majority of the fleet, of which 32 are adapted for people with special needs," said Braga.
TECHNOLOGY Koch stated that TCB will install new equipment on buses throughout next year, such as GPS, breathalyzers, and televisions. "The goal is to achieve excellence in management in this type of transportation by 2014," he said.
The 100 buses add to the fleet of 590 vehicles that provide regular student transportation. In 2015, the Federal District government is expected to receive another 200 from the Federal Government.