School buses under traffic police scanner

Any bus driver found without uniform and wearing a seat belt would be fined, said the police.

With the city schools back in session after the summer holidays, the traffic police went after errant school drivers on Friday. About 15 school bus operators were issued spot fines after the drivers failed to furnish necessary documents and were also found not wearing their uniforms or putting seat belts on.

Gurgaon Traffic police checking the school bus papers during the campaign against school buses at sector-47 chowk. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

The guidelines have been re-issued to the schools. Any bus driver found without uniform and wearing a seat belt would be fined, said the police. The drive aims to ensure the safety of school children while they are travelling in buses.

Ten traffic police teams were formed to conduct lane drive awareness not only on the expressway but also on the internal roads of the city. There will also be a major drive against the errant drivers for driving in the wrong lane, a traffic police official said.

Strict action would be taken against the schools if the same driver is penalised twice. Traffic police have also requested operators to install CCTV cameras inside school buses in order to keep a close watch on the drivers and attendants.

Pankhuri Yadav, ACP (traffic) said, “We had earlier issued notices to schools after their bus drivers were caught violating traffic norms. The lives of students are at risk due to the offenders. We have also asked schools to ensure the presence of a teacher and attendant in all the buses.”

City traffic police have adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards violation of road rules by bus drivers. If a driver violates rules, jumps the red light or are found guilty of rash driving, he will face legal action, said the police.

Gurgaon traffic police have also decided to take strict action against schools found violating Supreme Court guidelines about Surakshit School Vahan Policy.

The guidelines followed incidents that raised serious questions on the security of children travelling in school buses.

On January 30, 35 students and four staff members had a narrow escape after a school bus of Amity International School in Sector 43 caught fire.

After the incident, the parents met the Regional transport authority (RTA) and demanded that strict action be taken against schools who are not following the rules and regulations.

The parents handed over a memorandum in the first week of February demanding safety and security of their wards in school buses. The parents claimed that the drivers and staff are often not in uniform and have a casual approach to the job.

The RTA and traffic police officers had conducted audits of the schools and surprise inspections to check if the school bus operators were adhering to safety norms laid down under Surakshit School Vahan Policy.

The policy lists some basic norms including, CCTV cameras in buses with storage of footage for 15 days, speed governors, contact numbers displayed clearly at the front and rear ends of buses, ensure plying of yellow buses, reflective strips on buses and the presence of a lady attendant in these buses.