22 January,2022 08:54 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
Students get off the bus at Shakuntala Kantilal Ishvarlal Jain High School, Marine Drive, on October 13, 2016. Pic/Satej Shinde
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School buses will resume operations at full capacity about a week after in-person classes for Stds I-XII start on Monday. The owners' association in the state said there will also be a 30 per cent hike in school bus fees when services start on February 1. This comes as good news for lakhs of workers whose livelihood was snatched by COVID-19 two years ago, but parents are unlikely to be happy with the fee hike.
On Friday afternoon, the School Bus Owners' Association (SBOA), Maharashtra, shot off a letter to the state transport commissioner seeking appointments at RTO offices to get fitness certificates for buses, so that they are ready to be back in service.
"We have sent a letter to the transport commissioner informing the department that a copy of the government circular, offering tax relief, was not available with us. Hence, we seek appointments to get our buses in shape and we intend to start the services in full capacity by following all COVID-19 rules and regulations from February 1," Anil Garg, president of SBOA, Maharashtra, told mid-day.
"We have also proposed a hike of 30 per cent in the existing school bus fees to offset the losses and are working on a plan to get it implemented. The hike needs to be considered due to massive rise in fuel prices, losses in the pandemic and increase in salaries of the school bus crew," he said.
As per estimates, in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), there are about 50,000 buses that employ about 1.5 lakh people.
The COVID-hit school bus business received relief from the state government on Wednesday, with a 100 per cent waiver on the motor vehicle tax for the period starting April 1,2020, and ending March 31, 2022.
"However, there are several other losses, as buses have been parked at one place for two years and the authorities have levied fines and penalties. We have also requested for the age limit of buses to be extended, as we have lost two years of life of these vehicles," Garg said.
As per the latest directives of the Maharashtra government, schools in the state will reopen for Stds I to XII from Monday, January 24, with all mandatory COVID-19 protocols.
January 24
The day schools can reopen for offline classes
