Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
The letter published by teenager Jeanice S. Vacarizas in last week's GulfWeekly really opened my eyes to what many students across Bahrain are going through every single day they take a bus ride to school and back to their home.
I have been using school buses for the past 10 years and have experienced many incidents which have made me wonder whether this really is a safe mode of transport. There are some really good drivers who are employed to take students to and from their schools, but there are also some really inefficient ones.
I think Bahrain needs to wake up and look at how bad some of them are.
Just last week I witnessed a driver speeding on a highway and dangerously crossing lanes. I even spotted a child falling off his seat when the guy suddenly hit the breaks.
What was really surprising was how the driver reacted. He did not even look at the poor child to see if he was fine.
Another issue that I would like to point out is how cramped some buses are.
On one occasion a bus was so full with students they were forced to sit on top of each other!
My advice is that young people should not be afraid to speak up if something concerns them and they believe needs attention.
Please tell your parents and the school. Raise awareness - the more we voice our concerns the sooner action can be taken. We simply can't let this issue go unnoticed.
