Journal of Auto-vehicle Safety AssociationISSN:2005-9396(Print)한국자동차안전학회

In recent years, the population of children has been declining in Korea. Moreover, the phenomenon of elementary school closures is on the rise, particularly in non-urban and some new city areas, highlighting the need for school buses for children. Despite the mandatory safety features in place, accidents involving school buses for children are on the rise, underscoring the need for improvement in the safety of these vehicles. While various studies have been conducted to enhance the safety of children during their school commute, there has been a notable gap in research analyzing the school commuting environment concerning the vehicle safety of these buses. Hence, this study aims to develop a set of service evaluation criteria for school bus routes, considering vehicle safety through the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). By conducting a survey to gather information on the current status of school buses for children and through questionnaires targeting stakeholders in the school bus sector, the study analyzed requirements and operating conditions. These results were used to select evaluation criteria and structure the hierarchy based on the external and internal aspects of school bus services. Through AHP surveys conducted based on the designed criteria, experts identified safety as the most crucial aspect, with a specific emphasis on Vehicle Safety. Using these developed service evaluation criteria, the study plans to identify service-vulnerable routes through a real route analysis and recommend improvements, with the ultimate goal of creating a safe and convenient school commuting environment for children.