Bhubaneswar: Keeping in view the safety of school children, the State Government framed the ‘Policy on Transportation of School Children’ in 2016. However, are the school management ensuring that the policy is being strictly enforced? This question arises in view of the accidents involving the vehicles responsible for transporting school children. One such incident was reported from Cuttack today where a school bus hit a divider and crashed into a tree.
In a week-long special drive by the State Transport Department in April this year, 1096 vehicles engaged in transporting school students in the State had been penalised for flouting road safety rules. A total of 820 vehicles were plying without fitness certificates, 387 vehicles did not have valid permits and 311 drivers did not have valid Driving Licenses.
Following the drive, the State Transport Authority appealed to schools to check the fitness of vehicles ferrying children and abide by Motor Vehicle law. The school management should ensure that Supreme Court guidelines for plying of school buses and the ‘Policy on Transportation of School Children’ framed in 2016 should be complied with. The school management should make sure that their buses are in order. They should ensure drivers are well trained and they have a valid driving license.
The Policy on Transportation of School Children – 2016 lists the standard requirements such as identification, construction, and maintenance of school buses or vehicles.
Under statutory requirements, it states that a School Bus shall have valid insurance, fitness certificate, valid road permit, and PUC certificate as prescribed under Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. It shall be registered in name of the School and not in the name of the Trust or Society running the School except in the case of hired buses.
The policy also mentions that under no condition, the overloading of vehicles is permissible. The number of children in the Bus shall normally be restricted to its seating capacity. But, if the age of school children is below 12 years, the number of children carried shall not exceed 1 and 1/2 times of permitted seating capacity. Children above 12 years shall be treated as one person.
Qualification and duties of the driver of School Buses and duties and responsibilities of the Attendant in School Buses are also mentioned in the policy.
No person shall drive or no School Authority shall allow any person to drive any School Bus unless such person possesses the qualifications and satisfy the conditions as below:-
• He must have a valid Driving License to drive such class of vehicle.
• He must have a minimum driving experience of at least 5 years in similar category of vehicle;
• He should not have been fined more than twice in a year for offences like red light jumping, violation of lane discipline or allowing unauthorized person to drive etc.
• He should not have been ever challaned /fined for the offences of over speeding, drunken driving and dangerous driving resulting in fatal accident.
• He should undergo driving skill test before the School Level Transport Committee once in a year. He should also undergo eye test at that time.
Apart from this, the policy states every school should have a School Level Transport Committee comprising parents, transport representatives, and school staff to look into matters pertaining to safe transportation of the school children. If a school does not have such a committee, then it should immediately form one.
