The court also suggested the NGO to work with parents and school management to provide safe school buses
"Conscious awakening of parents has to be there for proper implementation of rules governing school bus safety," observed the Bombay High Court on Monday, while asking the state transport department to collate data on the number of accidents in the past few years, involving school buses.
A division bench of Justice Naresh Patil and Justice NW Sambre said: "It is not only up to a state government official sitting in his cabin. Even parents should be aware about the safety of a school bus." The observations were made while hearing a public interest litigation filed by NGO PTA United. The petition seeks proper implementation of rules governing granting of permits to operate school buses.
The court also suggested the NGO to work with parents and school management to provide safe school buses. "Schools cannot simply close their gates at 10 am and say the children will have to come by means of their own. They should consider how the child travels to school. In Mumbai we see, children running behind buses to reach their schools, it should not happen."
Advocate Rama Subramaniam argued that the government is not implementing the rules properly, and thus there are increasing incidents of school buses meeting with accidents. According to her, as per definition of a school bus, a vehicle having seating capacity of over 13 seats can operate as a school bus. However, even auto rickshaws and Maruti vans are used as school buses. The transport department filed an affidavit saying that until December 31, 2017, a total of 16,619 vehicles having seating capacity less than 13 are registered in the state as school buses.
On the last hearing, the court has observed: "Ensure that children are driven safely, parents should feel that their child is safe in school buses and will return home properly." It reiterated the need to use modern technology like CCTV cameras and GPS system in school buses to ensure safety of children. However, it added that not all schools may be able to do so, considering the income of parents and the location of the school.
It, however, expressed hope that it should be done in all buses over time. The court also suggested that the government should start a toll-free helpline number for citizens, especially parents to lodge complaints about school buses.
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