Pune: To ensure the safety of schoolchildren, the Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) has launched a special drive to conduct fitness inspections of school buses every Sunday at its Dive office. The initiative comes as schools have reopened for the new academic year.
The special drive will begin on Sunday, June 28, at 8 am. On the first day itself, the RTO has scheduled fitness inspections for 120 school buses. Bus operators will have to obtain prior appointments before bringing their vehicles for inspection.
The weekly inspections aim to ensure that school buses are roadworthy and comply with all mandatory safety norms, providing safe and reliable transport for students.
Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Deputy Regional Transport Officer Swapnil Bhosale said student safety during travel remains the department's top priority.
"With schools having reopened, fitness inspection of school buses is mandatory. To avoid inconvenience to school managements and bus operators, we have decided to keep the Dive office operational every Sunday and have made provisions to inspect 120 vehicles each week. We appeal to all school bus operators to get their vehicles inspected on time and cooperate with the administration," Bhosale said.
The RTO expects the special Sunday inspection drive to help complete the fitness certification process without disrupting the regular working days of schools and transport operators.
