Saudia Arabia will hold its first school transportation conference next month as the Middle Eastern nation looks to vastly expand its school bus system.

Ministry of Education officials said in a conference announcement that the government plans to double the number of female students who have access to school transportation service. Plans also include expanding service to male students and female teachers.

The result, officials said, will be a huge increase in the number of school buses in Saudi Arabia — from 12,000 to 60,000 — over the next five years.

The nation’s First International Conference for School Transportation will be held Oct. 7-9 in Riyadh, the capital city.

Topics to be covered include strategic planning for school transportation, management of institutional change, operations and reducing dependence on the use of private cars for the trip to school.

“One of the aims of the conference is to develop skills and allow for information exchange in the areas of security and safety, quality management, planning and efficiency,” according to conference materials. “In addition to looking at core operations, the conference will also focus on potential areas for integration with public transport.”

The program will reportedly include school and public transportation experts from the Persian Gulf region, other Arab and Asian countries, and Europe and America. Interpretation will be made from Arabic to English and vice versa.

The event will also include a trade show.

For more information, go to www.edutransconf.com.