761 school buses cleared for transport in Cyprus
In Cyprus, 761 school buses have passed mandatory inspections and are ready to transport students at the start of the new school year. Another 40 buses that did not pass inspections will not be used on school routes, Cyprus Mail reports, citing a hearing at the parliamentary transport committee.
Bus inspections
Georgios Loukas, a representative of the road transport department, told lawmakers that 442 buses had been inspected and approved by July, while another 319 had undergone the required checks since August. Around 600 buses are needed for school transport.
Buses whose inspections are still ongoing will not be included in the school transport fleet until they receive the required approval. The inspections covered technical condition, fire safety, driver permits and other mandatory documentation.
Additional unannounced inspections will be conducted in September. During the school year, ten supervisors will also carry out surprise checks.
Reactions from hearing participants
Transport Minister Eviya Tsolaki said after the meeting that she was satisfied that representatives of the involved bodies had positively assessed the measures taken before school transport resumed. According to her, safety issues raised by the audit service were addressed through the efforts of her predecessor, Alexis Vafeades, the ministry and the road transport department.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Sotiris Ioannou, chair of the parliamentary transport committee, noted that the 761 cleared buses had undergone more than merely formal inspections. He said that over the past three months they had also undergone private checks, while state inspections took place in 2025 and 2026. The buses have the required documents, including fire safety certificates.
Lawmaker Georgios Karaiskakis said that the committee had received assurances that no bus failing to meet all safety requirements would transport students. Representatives of transport companies from Nicosia, Famagusta, Larnaca and Limassol reported that they were ready for the start of the school year.
Number of passengers on buses
Student representative Despina Kyprianou expressed concern about the number of passengers on some buses, saying that some of them carry significantly more people than their design permits. Loukas explained that some buses are licensed to carry both seated and standing passengers. They are used on certain routes in cities, while buses with seats for all passengers are deployed for longer trips.
In June, the audit service found that more than one-third of school buses had not passed state inspections. The highest non-compliance rate, 76%, was recorded in Famagusta.
