Even though school for Classes VIII to X began on Monday, not many school buses were seen plying on the streets. This is because only 8% to 10% students in these classes travel by school bus. The associations feel that unless the primary and secondary classes resume physically, there will be less school buses.

The association also said that they will require at least a month to get the services back on track as they have been shut for over a year. There are around 12,000 school buses and vans that cater to different schools in the city. “The number of children from Classes VIII to X using the school bus is less. They prefer going by cycle or their parents drop them in their personal vehicles. So, effectively the school buses will be catering to only 8% to 10% of the students. We will be holding a meeting with the schools to check the actual student count,” said a school bus operator.

Currently, only 1,200 buses will ply as many are in need of repairs as they have been off service for a long time.

“Our buses will be of use only when the government opens up schools from Class I to VII as most of the students using the buses fall under this category,” said another school bus operator.

The bus operators claim that they need at least Rs 2 lakh per bus in order to start the services. Meanwhile, the school bus associations have demanded aid from the state government to sustain their business.