Mumbai: Terms given by parents for fee payment is bullying, say school bus owners

This picture has been used for representational purpose

Although schools have reopened outside the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), school bus operators have said parents are reluctant to use them and pay for them. The operators claim parents are offering to pay the fees only if schools operate for one full month, leading to no hope of revival for the industry.

In addition to this, the government has also not issued any Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) on school buses operations, leading to a lack of clarity. On top of this, traffic police have started fining stationary buses, leading to further losses and complications.

‘Parents bullying us'
"Parents are bullying us saying they will pay only if the school operates for one full month. But with diesel prices skyrocketing, we do not see a revival of the industry happening early. The government gives us verbal assurances every time we meet them, but there is no action," said Anil Garg, president of the School Bus Owners Association, Maharashtra.

The loss to the industry in the lockdown in the state has been pegged at Rs 3,000 crore. "When a school bus does not move, we are supposed to inform the transport department of its whereabouts and parking location. Despite complying with the condition around eight months ago, the traffic department has been fining our buses. This is not fair," Garg alleged.

A proposal by the organisation to use school buses for public transport, too, has been pending. Transport and traffic department officials refused to comment on the issue saying that it was a policy matter and under state government purview.