Kids forced to be silent on school buses for their 'safety'
Schoolchildren in the Bundaberg region of Queensland will be forced to be quiet for their own safety with a number of "silent buses" introduced.
Duffy's City Buses, which operate in Bundaberg, started the policy last month with owner Chris Duffy saying, "extreme noise affects a driver's ability to concentrate effectively."
"Unfortunately, there is no middle ground between silence and extremely excessive noise on a couple of school runs," he said, the News Mail reported.
Passengers shared photos of a sign displayed on some of the buses to social media.
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"This bus is now a 'silent bus.' This means you cannot make any sounds whilst travelling on this service - no exceptions," the sign reads.
"This rule will now be enforced at all times - no exceptions."
An Education Department spokeswoman said the policy is to stop putting "students or members of the public at risk."
"The department does not condone any behaviour or activity that puts another student or member of the public at risk," she said.
The department said if children do not follow the "silent" rule, their parents will be issued a warning letter.
