01 August,2013 05:33 AM IST | | Mahalakshmi Subramanian
After conducting surprise checks on school buses in Navi Mumbai for safety guidelines, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) plans to conduct a driving workshop for school bus drivers on August 3 at Karmveer Bhaurao Patil College in Vashi. The workshop will be held from 11 am to 5 pm.
Know-how: The workshop for bus drivers also aims to educate them about the pre-requisites for driving a school bus, and the school bus policy as laid down in the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Act. Representation Pic
"The workshop will focus on rules and regulations laid down for school bus drivers in the Motor Vehicles Act such as defensive driving techniques, techniques for fuel conservation and general road safety guidelines," said Sanjay Dhaygude, deputy regional transport officer.
Transportation of school students is a sensitive matter and the RTO plans to conduct the workshop at the beginning of the academic year, he said.
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School bus owners will be made aware of the pre-requisites for driving a school bus such as painting the vehicle in yellow, with the name of the school conspicuously painted on it, making appropriate provisions to keep schoolbags, providing iron bars for support and so on.
Dhanraj Shinde, assistant inspector of motor vehicles in Vashi RTO, will be one of the persons delivering the lectures on driving skills, which will focus on topics like how to prevent accidents, and the school bus policy as mentioned in the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles (Regulations for School Buses) Act.
According to officials at the RTO, a total of 523 school buses ply in Navi Mumbai. "Around 30 drivers from our company will be attending the workshop. I think it is a great way of making them aware of different rules and regulations. We have been attending the workshop for the last three years now," said Kiran Dhavale, representative of Sri Sadguru Enterprises that caters to Ryan International School and Podar International School.
Alice Vaz, principal of Ryan International School, Kharghar, said, "It is a very good initiative as the RTO has been very prompt in conducting such workshops. It is essential that bus drivers know all the skills. Merely acquiring a licence is not enough."u00a0
