31 out of 4,510 School Bus Drivers in Egypt Test Positive for Drugs

Egypt's Fund for Drug Control and Treatment of Addiction (FDCTA) has announced that 31 school bus drivers tested positive for drugs out of 4,510 screened across several governorates during the first two months of the 2026/2027 academic year.

According to figures released on November 8th, 2026, 28 drivers tested positive for hashish and three for tramadol. All 31 were referred to the Public Prosecution on charges of driving under the influence of drugs, with the fund coordinating with the Ministry of Education and Technical Education to dismiss those confirmed to be employed by schools.

The screening campaigns were conducted in cooperation with the General Administration for Drug Control, the General Administration of Traffic, the Ministry of Health and Population and the Ministry of Education. Authorities said unannounced testing would continue throughout the academic year and expand to additional governorates.

Earlier screenings identified 15 positive cases among 2,594 drivers tested during the first month of the academic year, compared to six cases among 966 drivers screened during the first two weeks.

The fund highlighted a longer-term decline in positive drug tests among school bus drivers, with screenings during the 2022/2023 academic year recording a rate of 0.3% among 12,875 drivers, compared to 12% in 2017.

Parents have been encouraged to report suspected drug use among school bus drivers through the fund's hotline, 16023. The fund identified potential warning signs including aggressive behaviour, loss of balance, unusually fast or slow driving and difficulty judging distances.