About 17 nations were represented in the United Arab Emirates in April 2013 as Dubai held its first conference aimed at enhancing school transportation. This gallery gives glimpses of the event and other sights in Dubai. Photos by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority, Judy Shanley and Tom Mullins.
Dubai’s 1st School Transportation Conference
The conference was developed in a partnership between the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai and the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) in the U.S. At center is NAPT Executive Director Mike Martin.
From left: NAPT President Alex Robinson; NAPT Executive Director Mike Martin; Mohammad Obaid Al Mulla, chairman of the conference organizing committee; and Mattar Al Tayer, chairman and executive director of the Dubai RTA.
As part of an Emirates Transport program, many Dubai schools now have painted grids to show students the danger zone around school buses.
Students assemble a giant puzzle that illustrates the school bus danger zone.
This conference stage included a school bus replica and a screen with a Dubai skyline that could move, giving the impression of a bus trip along the city.
Graham holds tight on the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai. At 2,722 feet, it is the tallest man-made structure in the world.
A hotel on Palm Islands boasts an enormous aquarium.
Delegates were taken on a citywide tour that explained the various modes of school transportation in Dubai. They also visited a school and its related transportation facility, courtesy of Emirates Transport.
North Carolina state pupil transportation director Derek Graham gives a presentation on technology and safety/security.
Backpacks and a sign that reads “MY BRAIN IS READY!” adorn the hallway of a Dubai school.
Judy Shanley, director of student engagement and mobility management with the Easter Seals Transportation Group, poses with Dubai RTA representatives. Shanley gave a conference presentation on managing the behavior of students with disabilities in school transportation.
One of Dubai’s many spectacular features is Palm Islands, an artificial archipelago that juts into the Persian Gulf.
No matter how hot it gets outside, you can hit the slopes at Ski Dubai, an indoor resort offering a 22,500 square meter skiing area, sled and toboggan runs, an ice cave and even penguins.
During the school transportation conference, a special wrap that included the NAPT logo was placed on some buses in the city.