Nicosia, Cyprus. By the end of the 2025-26 school year, 70 per cent of the school transport fleet had undergone inspections at state vehicle testing centres, the road transport department said on Thursday. The department said stricter safety measures were already being implemented ahead of the new school year.
Department response
In a statement issued following the publication of the auditor-general’s report on school buses, the department said pupil safety remained a top priority. It added that inspections would continue and that contractual, regulatory and supervisory procedures governing school transport services would be further strengthened.
The department said instructions had already been issued to all parties involved, taking into account both the findings of the additional checks and the recommendations made by the Audit Office.
Findings from inspections
According to the department, the technical faults highlighted in the auditor-general’s report had already been identified through extraordinary sample inspections carried out at state testing centres. It said these findings had led to corrective measures and sanctions.
The additional checks were introduced as a preventive measure alongside the inspections required by law at private vehicle inspection centres.
Inspectors identified vehicles with technical defects that had not been detected during previous inspections at private centres. Depending on the severity of the problems, buses were either repaired and returned to service or permanently withdrawn from the school transport fleet.
Compliance and enforcement
The department said that, under instructions issued by the transport minister in recent years, school buses are required to have successfully passed a technical inspection within three months before the start of the school year, in addition to statutory requirements.
It added that a series of measures had been taken to ensure contractors complied with instructions on the timely presentation of vehicles for inspection, with contractual penalties imposed in cases of non-compliance.
Investigations have also been launched into cases where buses approved by private vehicle testing centres were later declared unsuitable during checks at state testing facilities.
Where violations are established, the provisions of the Motor Vehicles (Technical Inspection and Technical Inspection Centres) Law will be applied and appropriate sanctions imposed, the department said.
