BEIJING - A meeting of the State Council, or China's Cabinet, saw the adoption of a draft regulation on school bus safety management that is meant to ensure students' safety, according to a statement issued Thursday.

The statement, released after the meeting presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao on Wednesday, said that relevant authorities began drafting the regulation last November based on domestic and overseas experience and opinions solicited from the public.

The draft regulation asks local governments to ensure that students attend nearby schools or boarding schools so as to "reduce students' traffic risks."

For rural areas that cannot ensure nearby schooling or convenient public transport to schools, measures should be taken to ensure students' access to school buses.