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EVERY weekday afternoon in Kota Kinabalu, certain roads begin transforming into parking lots long before the school dismissal bells ring.

Cars line road dividers, pavements, junctions and even roundabouts as parents and guardians wait to collect their children. In some areas, double parking has become normalised that motorists barely react anymore.

The scene familiar across many urban centres in Malaysia – not just in Sabah.

It reflects more than traffic congestion – the quiet decline of Malaysia’s school bus culture.

A generation ago, school buses were a common sight. Yellow and white buses filled neighbourhood streets every morning and afternoon, transporting children in large numbers while reducing congestion around schools.

Today, many of those buses are gone. Many of the drivers have also gone to eternal rest.

According to reports by local transport industry groups and media reports published by Asia News Network and Carz.com.my, Malaysia had nearly 18,000 school bus operators before the Covid-19 pandemic. 

That number reportedly dropped to around 12,000 operators in recent years.

Industry representatives revealed that approximately 6,000 school bus drivers left the sector during and after the pandemic due to prolonged school closures and unstable income.

“About 6,000 school bus drivers have quit. They got fed up with the uncertainty over their income,” an industry representative was quoted as saying in a 2022 report by Asia News Network.

The pandemic also significantly altered public attitudes towards shared transportation. 

A transport behaviour study published by the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies (EASTS) found that many Malaysians shifted towards private vehicles after Covid-19 due to concerns over infection risks and social distancing.

But the consequences are now visible daily on Malaysian roads.

In developed countries such as the United States, Japan and New Zealand, school transportation systems are designed not merely for convenience but as part of broader urban planning, child safety and traffic management strategies.

In the United States, the iconic yellow school bus remains a major component of student transportation. 

According to the American School Bus Council (ASBC), school buses transport more than 20 million students annually and help reduce traffic congestion by removing millions of cars from roads every day.

Strict traffic laws in many US states require motorists to stop whenever school buses are loading or unloading children, reinforcing safety and efficiency around schools.

Japan, meanwhile, adopts a very different but equally organised approach.

According to reports by Nippon.com and studies by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japanese urban planning encourages neighbourhood-based schooling, supervised walking groups and efficient use of public transportation.

The result is significantly less chaotic school traffic and reduced dependence on parents driving children individually.

New Zealand similarly integrates school bus services with regulated public transportation systems. The New Zealand Ministry of Education’s School Transport Assistance Programme supports student mobility while many schools enforce structured pick-up and drop-off systems to minimise congestion and roadside dangers.

Malaysia, however, appears to be moving in the opposite direction.

The growing dependence on private vehicles for school runs has created ripple effects – heavier congestion, unsafe parking practices, higher fuel consumption and increased risks for pedestrians and schoolchildren.

More worrying is how quickly dangerous parking behaviour has become accepted as “normal”.

Road dividers become temporary parking bays. Pavements meant for pedestrians are blocked. Roundabouts turn into waiting zones. Children weave between moving vehicles while enforcement officers struggle to maintain order during peak school hours.

Parents are not entirely to blame. School bus operators have repeatedly raised concerns over rising operating costs, ageing vehicles, permit regulations, maintenance expenses and difficulties attracting younger drivers into the industry. Some parents also cite inconsistent schedules, long travel times and safety concerns as reasons for choosing private transport instead. 

Yet perhaps the bigger question is this: What kind of cities are Malaysians building if every child requires an individual car trip to school?

Countries with efficient school transportation systems understand that moving children collectively is safer, cheaper and more sustainable than moving them individually.

Malaysia does not necessarily need to copy the systems of the US, Japan or New Zealand entirely. But there are lessons worth studying.

Better-regulated school bus services, targeted subsidies for operators, safer designated pick-up zones, stricter parking enforcement near schools and integrated transport planning could significantly improve urban traffic conditions.

Perhaps it is also time to rethink how schools themselves are planned within rapidly growing cities.

Because the daily school run is no longer just a parenting routine. It has become an urban planning issue.

Audrey is a senior Editor at Daily Express

The views expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the Daily Express. If you have something to share, write to us at: Forum@dailyexpress.com.my