School buses in Dubai are gearing up for a new school year with smart card readers. Approximately 800 buses will be outfitted with the readers. Each of the 40,000 students who travel to and from school every day on the buses will be issued a smart card that will be used to check students on and off the buses.

The students will tap or wave their smart cards in front of the reader to board the bus, and then do the same when exiting. The new smart card system will help system administrators and school officials keep better tabs on student whereabouts. In the event of an emergency, or a missing child, the new check-in/check-out system will help officials and security personnel locate a child.
The smart card readers will also be used to monitor safety conditions on the buses including speed and harsh braking. The school can also be alerted in case the bus runs into traffic delays or accidents en route to the school.