Gurgaon cops tighten noose around errant school bus drivers

The city traffic police on Monday launched a drive to rein in errant school bus drivers and issued notices to managements regarding safety guidelines.

The city traffic police on Monday launched a drive to rein in errant school bus drivers and issued notices to managements regarding safety guidelines.

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The police said that strict action would also be taken against the school if its driver was penalised twice.

“We had issued notices to schools earlier when their drivers were caught violating traffic norms. We have also asked the management to ensure that a teacher and an attendant are always present in a bus,” said ACP (traffic) Ravinder Tomar.

In the wake of rising sexual crimes against children, the Gurgaon police had also ordered city schools in May to install closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in buses. More than 800 buses are registered in Gurgaon and parents have often complained of sexual harassment by bus cleaners and drivers.

Adopting a zero-tolerance policy towards violation of rules by bus drivers, the police will penalise all drivers found jumping a red light, rash driving, not wearing proper uniforms or not using the seat belt.

Fearing action, school authorities have also given strict instructions to drivers to avoid traffic rule violations.

“Before buses leave the school campus, the staff ensures that children are seated well and the attendant is responsible for each child’s safety. A helpline number has been displayed on the bus for complaints against rash driving,” said Peeya Sharma, head, Ryan International School.