ALL seats in school buses must have seat belts. This is mandatory in countries like Australia, Germany and the UK as well as in US states like Texas, Ohio and New Jersey.

Most international schools here also have the same ruling.

So why not Singapore's public school buses, wonder concerned parents.

Legal consultant Jeffery Soh, 51, has two primary school children who take the bus to school.

'Singapore should pass a law to make it compulsory for all school buses to have seat belts installed,' hesaid.

'It's sad when something is done only when an accident happens and someone dies,' he added, referring to Russell Koh, who died after being flung from a minibus last Thursday.

Economies of scale appear to be the main reason for the lack of progress on the seat-belt issue, said Mr Wong Ann Lin, chairman of the Singapore School Transport Association.

Under Land Transport Authority (LTA) guidelines, three children can occupy two adult seats.

This allows bus operators to expand the seating capacity of a 10-seater bus to 15.

In Australia, only one child is permitted per seat.

Mr Wong said that if seat belts are installed, the capacity of each school bus will be reduced by a third.

This would lead to an increase in bus fares, which lower-income parents might not be able to afford.

According to the website of the Australian International School Singapore, a two-way trip on the school bus costs just over $140 to $220 or more a month, depending on the distance.

On a bus that takes children to a local school, the range is $60 to $170.

Childcare teacher S Eng Phang, 47, said that $133 a month was a tad pricey. However, she added that she does not mind topping up her 12-year-old daughter's current transport fee of $62 to $100 if parents have to absorb the cost of seat-belt installation in school buses.

Parents also worry about the lack of attendants in minibuses catering to local schools.

The Australian International School requires every bus to have an attendant.

LTA guidelines state that bus attendants are required only for buses with 30 seats and more.

But Mrs June Ling, 44, who has two primary school children, said she would worry even if there are attendants.

'Students are hard to control. They move around so much that sometimes even the bus attendants can't maintain proper order,' she said.

The business planner said she would much prefer 'seat belts to be installed to keep children seated at all times'.

PEACE OF MIND

A 38-year-old primary school teacher, who declined to be named, agreed.

'Children tend to be active and fidget a lot. Seat belts will help to restrict their movement,' he said.

'If little Russell Koh had been buckled up, he might not have died.

'I strongly urge the authorities to implement a seat-belt ruling for all school buses as soon as possible.'

Mr Soh feels Singapore should not fall behind in road safety standards, especially when it involves the well-being of children.

'It would be even better if there's legislation to mandate that bus drivers must ensure the children are safely belted up before moving off.

'It will give parents greater peace of mind to know that all precautions have been taken to ensure their children's safety.'

Melody Zaccheus, Kelvin Chan, newsroom interns

This article was first published in The New Paper on Apr 30, 2008.