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Class 8 to Class 12 reopens, but school buses absent in Pune
Since the state government announced that schools will reopen from October 4, no parent or school has approached us to start the bus service, says Kiran Desai, secretary of Pune bus owners’ association
Despite the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) giving permission for school transport vehicles to ply from October 4, operators of school buses said they were unlikely to get on the road immediately.
In an official order issued by the PMC on Saturday, PMC also made sanitisation of the vehicle twice-a-day mandatory.
Schools reopen for Class 8 to Class 12 from Monday.
Speaking about various challenges school bus owners face, Kiran Desai, secretary of Pune bus owners’ association, said, “Many students from Class 8 to Class 12 commute on their own, via cycles and private vehicles instead of buses. Students who need school buses are those from Class 1 to Class 7. Moreover, it is financially not viable for bus owners to start buses for a few students,” said Desai.
He added that with higher diesel prices, school-bus fees will also increase.
“Since the state government announced that schools will reopen from October 4, no parent or school has approached us to start the bus service. ThepPast 18 months have been very challenging for us as there has been no income for many drivers,” said Desai.
Sachin Panchmukh, vice-president of the School Bus Association, said that there is no respite for drivers, caretakers and owners of school buses.
“The government has constantly neglected us. All businesses are functional, as hotels, vacation spots are open. Only schools were shut. And we are suffering the most because of the pandemic. Our buses have not been running for more than 18 months now. Each bus alone needs maintenance, insurance and other important repairs and owners don’t have the money for that. In such a scenario, how can we start bus service for students?” said Panchmukh.
95 per cent of schools ready to reopen
Speaking about the reopening of schools from October 4, Harishchandra Gaikwad, president of the Pune District Principals’ Association said that around 95 per cent of schools are expected to start from Monday.
“Schools are all geared up with sanitisation and are following Covid protocols to ensure safety of the students. We are hoping to see a good turn out on Monday. School buses are also instructed to be sanitised twice a day, with only one child occupying one seat. Schools will have to keep a check on sanitisation of buses and relevant instructions will be passed by them to the drivers and caretakers,” said Gaikwad.
