Chinese traffic police have revoked the licenses of 3,337 former school bus drivers who failed to meet rigorous standards for continuing to drive school buses.

In addition, the police also ordered 6,223 school buses off the road, after they were found to be be unroadworthy, until they are repaired.

The suspensions follow a nationwide inspection of school transport launched at the end of November.

A serious school bus accident in northeast China's Heilongjiang province, blamed on speeding and overloading, left eight children dead and 39 injured on Nov. 21.

The accident prompted the Ministry of Public Security to conduct a thorough survey of school transport and establish a mechanism to prevent further accidents.

"School buses should be inspected regularly," said a circular of the ministry's traffic bureau to regional traffic police departments.

The inspection covered 116,986 primary and high schools across the country.

According the circular, school bus drivers should have a clean driving record dating back at least three years.

Source: Xinhua