RTO has filed only 25 cases in 2011; 1,663 buses on rolls

Although as many as 1,663 school buses are registered with the Pune regional transport office (RTO), barely 25 cases of irregularities were filed against them in the entire year.

A Mumbai-based school bus owners’ association had called a strike on Tuesday against the alleged harassment by the RTO, and the rules specified in the school bus policy.

According to the regional transport officials, the buses are checked when they come to the office for their yearly passing. The buses which failed to meet the norms were not given clearance.

However, the RTO has not taken any specific drive against school bus operator in the whole year.

“There were negligible cases of overcrowding or carrying students in dangerous manner, but we restricted action against the school buses as we do not want the students in the buses to face inconvenience,” a regional transport official said.

Pune contract bus owners’ association president, Janardan Murkute said, “Around 800 buses remained off the road on Tuesday as we are protesting against certain norms specified in the school transport policy. These norms are impractical and we will face action by the transport authorities if we do not follow them.”