KINGDOM OF SAUDIA ARABIA  
 
Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Org.(SASO)  
 
Standard Specification  
 
 
Standard No.   SASO -GSO -2501  
 
Reference No.   GSO -2501  
 
Issue Year    2015  
 
Adoption Year   2017  
 
Numeric Coding   950-2501  
 
 
 
 
 
Motor Vehicles - Safety Requirements for School Buses  
 
 
 
 
Saudi Standards  
  (2) 
  
 
 
NATIONAL FOREWORD  
 
The Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality (SASO) has approved the GSO  
Standard:  
 
 
GSO -2501         Issue  Year  2015  
 
 
Motor Vehicles - Safety Requirements for School Buses  
 
 
 
 
Saudi Standards  
  (3) 
  
GCC STANDARDIZATION ORGANIZATION (GSO)  
 
 
GSO 2501/2015  
 
 
 
Motor Vehicles - Safety Requirements for School Buses  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ICS : 43.040.80; 43.080.20  
  (4) 
  
 
Motor Vehicles - Safety Requirements for School Buses  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Date of accreditation of the Technical Council  (37): 10-11/3/1437 H (21 -22/12/2015 G)  
Issuance description : Standard Specification  
 
   
 
:   
 
 
  (5) 
  
GSO STANDARD        GSO 2501/2015  
 
 
Foreword  
 
GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) is a regional Organization which consists of the  
National Standards Bodies of GCC member States. One of GSO main functions is to issue  
Gulf Standards /Technical regulations through specialized technical committees.  
 
GSO through the technical program of GSO Technical Committee No. (TC02/SC1) “ GSO  
Technica l Sub -Committee for Motor Vehicles and Tires Standards ” has prepared this GSO 
standard by the United Arab Emirates . The project was prepared after reviewing the Arabic, 
foreign and international standards and the related reference literature.   
 
This stand ard has been approved  as a Gulf Technical Regulation by GSO Board of Directors 
in its Meeting No. 37, held on 10 -11/3/1437 H. (21 -22/12/2015 G.).  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 (6) 
  
GSO  Standard  GSO  2501/2015  
 
 
Vehicle s  - Safety R equirements for School Buses  
 
 
1. Field  and scope of application   
 
This standard is concerned with the safety requirements in school buses allocated for 
the transportation of students.  
 
2. Complementary References  
 
2.1 GSO 42 “Vehicles – General Safety Requirement s” 
2.2 GSO 96 “Vehicles – Test Methods of Seat Belts”  
2.3 GSO 97 “Vehicles – Safety Belts”  
2.4 GSO 98 “Vehicles – Inflammability of the Internal Parts and Methods of Testing 
them”  
2.5 GSO 99 “Road Vehicles – Sound Alarms – Technical Specifications”  
2.6 GSO 159 “Vehicles  – Dimensions and Weights”  
 
3.  Definitions  
 
3.1 School bus: a motor vehicle designed and equipped with seats to transport 9 or 
more students with their luggage.  
 
3.2 Emergency exit : an opening  (an emergency slot)  to increase the rate of exit of 
passengers in case the bus is exposed to any emergency requiring the spee dy 
departure of the passengers, and  exit should be  closed either by a door or a glass 
sheet of a special type that can be easily broken without causin g injuries to 
passengers.   
 
4.  General requirements  
 
Any school bus must have the following:  
 
4.1  There should be no sharp ends and no t any  part of the bus should stick out in 
all parts of the external structure of the bus , which may cause a safety hazard 
for the passengers, pedestrians or other vehicles.   
 
4.2 The bus shall be provided with an electronic stop arm on the external side 
immediately after the driver’s door.  The arm shall carry out a plate on which the 
word ( STOP) is written in both the Arabic and the English language s.  Such arm 
should stick out electronically with the opening of the passenger’s door.  The 
characteristics of the arm are specified in figure no. 1.  
 
 (7) 
  
 
Figure 1: Stop arm  
 
 
4.3 A sound alarm device should be installed to work automatically when the bus is 
reversed, it should make a sound audible enough to alert pedestrians and the 
other vehicles at the rear.  
  
4.4 The color of the bus should be yellow with the shade RAL1018Zinkge lbGL841 , 
without interference of any other color.  
 
4.5 The unloaded bus should not  Rollover  when it inclines right or left at 35 degrees 
from the vertical position.  
 
4.6 Each bus should be provided with a  devise  to limit the maximum speed so that 
the maximum speed of the bus will not exceed 80 km/hour by fitting  a maximum 
speed control device.  
 
4.7 No standing places or additional seats for the students should be allocated in 
the buses .  
 
4.8 Buses should be provided with an air conditioning system in accordance with 
the international classification ISO for climate zones (T3).  
 
4.9 The propeller (Transmission) shaft shall be protected by a means  (an 
instrument)  to prevent  its fall in case of its separation or breaking.  
 
4.10 The fuel tank should be protected with a strong metal casing to protect it in case 
of an accident.  
 
4.11 The exhaust system shall be properly isolated away from the fuel system.  
 
(8) 
 4.12 The operati onal life of the school bus shall not exceed 15 years.  The operational 
life of the school bus can be extended  for additional 5 years’ maximum if it was 
fully renovated . 
 
4.13 Warning signs should be placed to prevent smoking inside buses.  
 
4.14 Warning signs should be placed to prevent use of mobile telephones by drivers.  
 
5. Seats  
 
5.1 The grips made for the student s to catch must be manufactured or coated with  
materials that protect students in case of hitting them at sudden stop.  
 
5.2 All internal materials used in the manufacture of s eats and floors must be made 
of fire -resistant material.   
 
5.3 All seats must be directed forward and designed to provide maximum comfort 
for the students, and the seat back must be made of / or covered with a soft 
shock absorbent material and each seat must be fitted with a passenger 
headrest or the back of the seat extended to work as a head support of not less 
than 70 centimeters.  
 
5.4 Measurement of the longitudinal distance between any two parallel point s of any 
two successive seats shall not be less than 640 m m and the seat depth shall 
not be less than 380 m m for a seat.  
 
5.5 The driver’s seat and the seats that do not face other nearby seats shall be 
provided with safety belts with three fixing points.  
 
5.6 Nursery buses shall be equipped with three -point safety belts for all seats and 
with the child seat installation system.  
 
6. Dimensions  
 
6.1 The width and height of the bus entrance should be commensurate with the size 
of the bus and must be comfortable for the students’ going up to or going down 
from the bus.  
 
6.2 The depth dimensions of the entrance stairs shall be at least 250 mm, and  the 
edge of the stairs shall be fitted with a non -slip surface.  The maximum allowed 
height from the ground to the first step of the stairs shall be 400 m m which will 
maintain the safety of the students going up to or down from the bus.  
 
6.3 The width of the bus isle  (lane)  shall not be less than 350 mm and the isle  (lane)  
floor shall be covered with a non -slip material or designed to prevent slipping.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
7. Emergency exits : (9) 
  
7.1 Each bus shall contain emergency exits which will be commensurate with the 
number of passengers as specified in the below  table and that clear signs shall 
be placed inside the bus indicating the places of such exits , and that no  
obstacles shall be placed b efore them , which may impede the exit of 
passengers in emergency cases.  
 
 
Table specifying the number, places, and exit points in school buses  
 
Type  Number of Passengers  Place and Number of Exits  
 
Small Bus  From 9 to 14 passengers  1 exit in the roof or at the rear  
 Less than 26 passengers  1 exit in the roof or at the rear  
In addition to a side exit  
 
 
Large Bus  Less than 30 passengers  1 exit in the roof or at the rear  
in addition to a side exit  
 From 30 to 40 passengers  An exit from each side  
and an exit in the roof or at the rear  
 More than 40 passengers  2 exits at each side and 2 exits from the 
roof or at the rear  
 
 
 
Note: Glass windows can be used as an emergency exit s. 
  (01) 
 8. Doors  
   
8.1 Bus doors must be designed sturdy and fast -fitting  (must designed to be strong, 
tight installation) and easy for students to open. They shall be fitted with:  
 
8.1.1  Self-control lighting system to illuminate (brighten) the entrance when 
the doors are open.  
 
8.1.2  Grips to facilitate going up into or going  down from the bus.  
 
8.1.3  Manual means  (tool)  to control the opening of doors from outside in 
emergency cases.  
 
8.1.4   Entrance doors shall be designed so that the driver  can, while being on 
his seat , control the opening or closing of them with the existence of a 
means  (tool)  to facilitate opening them from inside in emergency  cases, 
preferably electronically.  
 
9. Basic accessories  
 
9.1 The bus shall be provided with a spare tire fixed in a place where the driver can 
easily have access to , and to be fit ted with the tools required for replacing tires.  
 
9.2 The bus shall be provided with a tool kit necessary for emergency repairs on 
roads at emergency cases and shall be suitable for the bus type.  
 
9.3 Each bus shall be provided with one or more fire extinguishers suitable for the 
size of the bus , to extinguish all types of fire , and shall be placed in a designated 
place near the driver’s seat and the doors. There should be a sign indicating the 
accessible places where they are . 
 
9.4 The bus shall be e quipped with a cabinet containing emergency equipment, 
warning lights, three reflect ive triangles, the tool  kit and battery charging 
equipment.  
 
9.5 Each school bus must contain a first aid kit with a size suitable to the capacity 
of the bus , together with placing a sign indicating the place where the kit is kept.  
 
9.6 The bus shall be fitted with a two -hook ring fixed with the chassis in the fron t 
side so that it can be towe d in case any part of the bus breakdown . 
 
10.  Windows  
 
10.1 The windows glass must be tented by 30% or the windows must be fitted with 
curtains.  
 
10.2 The width of the windows which can be opened horizontally or vertically must 
not exceed  20 cm. 
 
10.3 Placing of bars on the windows from inside or outside is totally  forbidden.  
 
 (00) 
 11. Mirrors : 
 
11.1 The bus shall be equipped with a system of mirrors according to the GSO 
specifications  (standards) , which enable the driver, while on his seat, detect all 
sides of the  bus from the outside and to monitor the conditions surrounding the 
entrance doors and what is inside the pas senger s' cabin .  
 
11.2 The bus shall be provided with a rear camera to help the driver avoid the 
hazards of accidents while reversing the bus.  
 
12. Warning Lights System  
  
12.1 The bus shall be equipped with light signals which start flashing when the bus 
stops or when the bus  is in reverse move . 
 
12.2 There should be a double red light indicator s at the top front and rear of the bus.  
 
12.3 There shou ld be a yellow double light indicator at the bottom of the bus in the 
front and at the rear  side, and the operation switch of those lights must be 
controlled manually by the driver at a sufficient distance before the bus stops.  
 
13. Stickers  
 
13.1 The following words should be written in black “S CHOOL BUS ” in Arabic and 
English, in letters not less than 8 inches high, i.e. (means) 20 centimeters, an d 
to be written between the top  warning  lights or at  the highest place possible in 
the front and at the rear of the bus and to be written also at the middle of the 
bus on both sides.  
 
13.2 The sign of the school bus should be plac ed at the front right side of the bus 
and at the rear left side of the bus.   
 
13.3 The writing size of the school’s name, the  operating company’s name or any 
third party’s name must not be more than 1,500 square centimeters.  
 
13.4 The bus number must be written at the highest level at the front right side and 
at the rear left side of the bus.  
 
13.5 A contact number must be written on the bus in case of an infringement or a 
violation by the driver.  
 
 
References :  
 
 GSO 42  
 Directory of Dubai School Transport  
 UNECE 17