RTO puts brakes on new regulations, says bus owners may carry on with unmodified buses until the government deliberates their demands and concerns over alterations
RTO puts brakes on new regulations, says bus owners may carry on with unmodified buses until the government deliberates their demands and concerns over alterations
Kids may board their school buses as usual now, after the Regional Transport Office suspended for the time being the implementation of guidelines that bus owners were not in completely accord with.
Accordingly, they will continue to run the buses for now.
The modifications decided on June 4 have currently been put on hold, enabling students to travel in their old school buses
In a circular last week, the RTO informed them that they need not implement certain modifications discussed in a June 4 meeting with immediate effect.
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The transport department has allowed buses to ferry school students just the way they were while the government considers their arguments and reservations regarding a few key points of implementation.
The modifications include installing speed governors, painting the buses yellow bus with a stripe on them, and so on (see box).
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Anil Garg, chairman of School Bus Owner's Association, Mumbai, said, "The demands that we made during our meeting with Transport Commissioner Dilip Jadhav are under consideration by the government.
We have been given time to implement the new regulations. Until then, we may ply our school buses just the way they are."u00a0
MiD DAY has earlier reported about the contentious guidelines and the subsequent developments ('No school bus for your child?' and 'RTO setsu00a0 school bus wheels in motion'.
Moreover, the transport department has instructed van owners to ferry students only after they enter into an agreement with the respective schools. Also, any school van not in the regulation colour scheme will be considered illegal.
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These guidelines came after bus owners asked for equitable and uniform treatment of all vehicles that ferry school goers.
Santosh Shetty, the Nerul corporator who owns more than 100 buses that ply in Navi Mumbai schools, said, "The minutes of the meeting held on June 4 have now been sent to the government and circulated among school bus owners.
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The transport department's circular says that we can run the buses till the government takes a call on our demands."
SK Sharma, principal secretaryu00a0 (Transport and Port), said, "The policy has already been dictated to school bus owners.
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Their concerns will be deliberated over by the government, and the detailed implementations decided upon will be undertaken by the transport department."u00a0
Bus owners' demands
>> Extension of the deadline to paint the buses in the regulation colour scheme
>> Revision of the limit on how long a bus may be used for service, or its life span
>> Permission to fit the two regulation fire extinguishers in the driver's cabin, and not at the back of the bus kids may have access to them
>> Special training for school bus drivers who have five years of experience
>> Reconsideration of the installation of speed governors
Instead of scraping old vehicles, continue with them to avoid a shortage of school buses
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