Maharashtra Issues Guidelines for School Bus Safety Amid Rising Harassment Cases

 The Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights on Thursday issued guidelines to schools for the transport of school students in the state, citing rising cases of harassment during their commute between home and school.

All school buses should have functional GPS and CCTV cameras and a well-trained female attendant and the school management can’t absolve themselves of children’s safety and well-being during excursions on the grounds of outsourcing it, MSCPCR chairperson Susieben Shah said in a release.

The commission also referred to the alleged molestation of girl students on an outsourced bus during a Thane school excursion to Ghatkopar.

MSCPCR is a statutory body set up under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005, to protect, promote and defend child rights in the state.

As per the guidelines, the school management should ensure that details of the driver, school’s contact, bus owner and school name are displayed on the exterior of the bus and be “visible to all passengers and the public”.

All buses should be fitted with speed governors. The vehicles should also have alarm and siren mechanisms installed for emergencies. The school management should also keep the footage of CCTV cameras as backup for at least 15 days, the release said.

The guidelines also ask the schools to form a transportation committee, comprising “management representatives, PTA and students to oversee safety measures in school buses”.

The guidelines are meant to ensure the safety of children on school buses and during school excursions besides assigning the responsibility of the school management, it said, adding that the norms were formed in consultation with all stakeholders.