The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is tapping into the expertise of the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) to promote school bus safety in the Emirate and beyond.

The two organizations announced on Tuesday that they are entering into a formal partnership to share information and experiences, and they will cohost a school transportation summit next spring in Dubai.

“NAPT is privileged to join with the Emirate of Dubai in the interest of helping them and others in their region learn from our experiences operating yellow school buses,” said Alexandra Robinson, president of NAPT and executive director for pupil transportation at the New York City Department of Education.

Essa Al Dosseri, CEO of the Public Transport Agency at RTA, called the agreement “the result of many years of working informally with NAPT. Together, we are taking the next step to bring the best practices in school transportation to individuals, businesses, governments and related school transportation service providers in the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) as well as other countries.”

Al Dosseri added that the conference “will be a unique learning experience for transportation professionals around the world.”

As part of the agreement between the organizations, NAPT will work with the Dubai RTA to benchmark its current school transportation service and collaborate on public information activities and other communications.

NAPT Executive Director Mike Martin applauded the RTA for its regional leadership.

“The Dubai RTA is a very professional organization that strives to achieve best transportation practices,” Martin said. “It’s been a great honor working with them over the years, and we now embrace this official partnership to promote school bus transportation in that part of the world.”

The Dubai RTA is responsible for planning, executing and coordinating all aspects of the Emirate’s rapidly expanding transport infrastructure, including road, rail, bus, marine and metro transportation. The agency also prepares legislation and strategic plans related to transportation, including school transportation.