Mumbai: The School Bus Owners' Association (SBOA) has approached the Bombay High Court against the alleged failure of the Maharashtra Transport Department to act against thousands of illegally operated school vans in the city, raising serious concerns over student safety.
5,000 illegal vans alleged
According to the association, more than 5,000 school vans are operating without mandatory permits, insurance and tax payments. It has alleged that many of these vehicles use white registration plates, which are meant for private vehicles and cannot legally be used for commercial passenger transport.
The SBOA has questioned why the Regional Transport Office (RTO) and the traffic police have allegedly failed to take action against such vehicles despite repeated complaints. The association has also sought accountability from the Transport Department for allowing the continued operation of unauthorised school transport services.
The association further contends that, under the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, vehicles with a seating capacity of fewer than 12 passengers are not permitted to operate as school transport. It argues that permitting such vehicles to ferry schoolchildren compromises their safety and violates transport regulations.
The petition alleges that the inaction of enforcement agencies has encouraged illegal operators while putting the lives of thousands of schoolchildren at risk. The matter is scheduled to come up for hearing before the Bombay High Court on **July 16**, where the association is expected to seek directions for strict enforcement of transport laws and action against unauthorised school vans.
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