Auto-rickshaws being overloaded with students has raised serious safety concerns among parents and young children in the Pune city.
Despite repeated warnings and guidelines by the Regional Transport Office (RTO), many private school rickshaw and van drivers continue to flout rules with impunity, putting the lives of children at constant risk.
Speaking to the Free Press Journal, Sudha Goswami, a parent, said, “It is not uncommon to spot rickshaws carrying 10 to 15 children when it is meant for a maximum of 4–6 passengers. This is like gambling with the life of our child.”
Another parent from Baner, Ramesh Chavan, expressed, “We have complained multiple times, but there is no visible action. For our student, I pay ₹1,600 per month. We are forced to send him in an auto rickshaw because it is cheaper than school vans. But the RTO is sleeping, and the drivers are fearless. It feels like rules exist only on paper.”
While RTO Pune has recently issued a notice regarding the rules to be followed by school drivers and mandatory safety standards, enforcement is still lacking.
We are under pressure: School rickshaw driver
One school rickshaw driver justified the overload, saying, “We are under pressure from parents to offer low fares. If I don’t take more students, I would not make enough to even cover fuel costs. However, we take precautionary measures—installing proper gates. Moreover, we have also taken consent forms from parents and schools.”
Not just traffic violation: Expert
Transport safety expert Ajay Joshi highlighted, “This is not just a transport violation. It is a matter of child safety. There must be strict penalties, surprise inspections, and school-level accountability. It is very simple—if the RTO office conducts random checks near schools, colleges, and other major hotspots, the menace could be stopped, but RTO officials are also negligent.”
Swapnil Bhosale, ARTO Pune, speaking to Free Press Journal, said, “Violation of RTO norms is punishable. We are taking action against them. However, they again violate the rules later. Patrolling rounds will increase near schools and major hotspots.”
