Hyderabad: Most city school buses unfit to ferry students

♦ School buses need to undergo thorough fitness inspections to ensure children’s safety

♦ Regulations mandate compliance with specific standards for school bus design

♦ RTA authorities must verify multiple parameters for school bus safety and functionality

♦ Emergency exits, seating layout, and interior protection need to be carefully evaluated

♦ School bus color, insignia, and signage dimensions are strictly monitored

♦ Provision of flashing lights and buzzers enhances passenger safety on school buses

Hyderabad: Concerned parents in city became anxious as schools reopened on Monday, as a significant number of school buses, which their children rely on for transportation, allegedly failed to obtain the necessary fitness certificates from the transport department for the current academic year.

While it may not be in thousands, there are indeed numerous school buses operating in Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, and Medchal Malkajgiri districts. Approximately 25,000 school buses are estimated to be in operation in these areas. However, only around 30 percent of these buses have undergone fitness tests. School management, on the other hand, asserts that all school buses will acquire their fitness certificates within a week.

Parents have raised allegations that schools continue to collect transportation fees, but once the new academic year commences, they receive notifications stating that school buses will be temporarily unavailable as they need to undergo vehicle fitness checks by the relevant transport authorities. As a result, parents are left to arrange alternative transportation until the school buses resume their services.

According to M Dayanand, the general secretary of the Telangana Auto and Motor Welfare Union, over 70 percent of school buses have not undergone the required fitness tests. Additionally, he mentioned that school management and bus owners are expected to have their buses checked for fitness every year in December and May. However, this practice is often treated as a formality rather than a serious matter concerning the safety of children. He stated that the action of Road Transport Officials (RTA) seizing buses is not a solution, as it only ends up causing inconvenience to students by depriving them of transportation.

Speaking to The Hans India, a member of the Hyderabad School Parents Association, A Murali, expressed his concerns regarding the school bus fitness certification process. He questioned the feasibility of completing fitness inspections for 70 percent of all school buses within a mere 15-day period, as claimed by the school management. He emphasised that the process should have been concluded prior to the schools reopening. He also stressed the importance of every school bus displaying contact numbers for both the school management and the relevant Road Transport Authority (RTA) office.

The existing transportation regulations have established specific standard requirements for school buses, which go beyond the requirements outlined in the AIS-052 Code of Practice for Bus Body Design and Approval. These additional requirements prioritise the safety of school children and aim to minimise the severity of injuries.

The rules apply to school buses with a seating capacity of 13 passengers or more, excluding drivers. Bus manufacturers and bodybuilders must comply with the technical code specified in AIS-063:2005. The Road Transport Authority (RTA) conducts inspections based on 11 key parameters outlined in the code to ensure the safety of children traveling on school buses. These parameters include the bus’s color, insignia dimensions, emergency exits, entry steps, service doors, interior protection, storage, seating layout and dimensions, partition design, stop signal sign, and provision for flashing lights and buzzers or other suitable means for opening emergency doors. Additionally, compliance with the speed limit facility outlined in Rule 118 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules is also verified during the vehicle checking process.