May 09, 2025 07:10 AM IST
The operators complained that though they were following all the transport department guidelines in the running of approximately 40,000 authorised school buses, 50,000 to 60,000 unauthorised school buses were playing in the state without following any rules
MUMBAI: In a meeting held by transport minister Pratap Sarnaik on Thursday regarding the operations of school buses, it was revealed that 50,000 to 60,000 unauthorised school buses were plying in Maharashtra. Sarnaik gave the bus owners a three-month deadline to register themselves with the authorities, and warned that if any illegal school bus was found after this period, action would be taken against the transport department officers in that area.
The meeting was attended by transport commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar, school bus operators and representatives of parents’ associations. The issue of student safety was discussed, and suggestions and objections were invited for amendments in the 2011 regulations related to school buses.
The operators complained that though they were following all the transport department guidelines in the running of approximately 40,000 authorised school buses, 50,000 to 60,000 unauthorised school buses were playing in the state without following any rules. They also complained that officials from the Regional Transport Office (RTO) were hand in glove with the illegal operators.
Following this, Sarnaik set a three-month deadline for the owners of unauthorised buses to pay a penalty and regularise. “This is not just for legal requirements but for students’ safety, which is our highest priority,” he said. “After three months, if we find any unauthorised school bus, action will be taken against the officials of the concerned RTO.”
Commissioner Bhimanwar said that Maharashtra was the first state to introduce a school bus policy, and the department would iron out any flaws in it while amending the 14-year-old rules. The parents’ associations demanded a panic button, CCTV and female attendants in all school buses for the safety of students. “There will be no relaxation in safety measures but at the same time there will be no injustice done to anyone in the amended rules,” Sarnaik assured everyone.