Parents-Hired School Buses Under Scanner Over Safety Violations, Citizens Demand Special RTO Inspection Drive

Mumbai: Raising concerns over the safety of schoolchildren travelling in privately hired buses, advocate Sachin Adkar and members of Aamhi Girgaonkar approached the Regional Transport Office (RTO), seeking a comprehensive investigation into vehicles engaged directly by parents to ferry students to and from school.

Concerns Raised Over School Bus Safety

Adkar said an incident he witnessed raised concerns about possible safety violations in the operation of these buses. Photographs submitted by him allegedly show students sitting on the engine cover near the gearbox and beside the driver. One photograph also shows a student leaning against a glass window, raising concerns about the risk of injury while the vehicle is in motion.

A complaint was subsequently sent to the school, the RTO office in Matunga and the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, seeking a wider probe into the matter.

School Denies Responsibility For Private Bus

“The school replied that it was not responsible for the bus as the parents had hired it privately. However, we have not received any response from the other authorities,” Adkar said.

The issue has also been raised by members of Aamhi Girgaonkar, a citizens’ group that said it had received complaints about school buses allegedly operating without adhering to prescribed safety norms.

Driver Allegedly Used Phone While Driving

Gaurav Sawantkar, president of Aamhi Girgaonkar, said the group had also witnessed instances of alleged violations. “We saw a school bus driver allegedly speaking on the phone while driving. We filed a police complaint, but there was limited evidence to substantiate it,” he said.

The concerns come amid the state government’s efforts to strengthen safety requirements for school buses. In July, Maharashtra released a school bus policy mandating safety measures, including digital monitoring systems, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, seat belts, panic buttons and student attendance systems.

Activist Alleges Poor Compliance

However, Adkar alleged that compliance among private operators remained inconsistent. “The prescribed rules were not being implemented by the buses in question. Upon inspection, it was found that very few buses had started implementing the requirements,” he said.

A key concern is the accountability of buses hired directly by parents, rather than arranged through schools. While such arrangements may operate outside the school’s direct transport management, questions remain over the enforcement of safety regulations and the responsibility of operators, drivers and the authorities tasked with monitoring them.

Adkar has called for a special safety inspection drive to assess compliance among private buses ferrying schoolchildren across Mumbai.

“A safety drive should be carried out to ensure that the buses have started working towards implementing the necessary requirements mandated in the policy,” he said.

The complainants are seeking a wider investigation to determine whether the vehicles comply with the prescribed norms and what action can be taken against operators found violating them.

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