Same route, no safety: Will Maharashtra’s new school bus norms work?

As the Maharashtra government prepares to roll out a new set of safety regulations for private school buses in the upcoming academic year scrutiny is mounting over how these rules will differ from previous onesmdashand whether they will finally prove effectiveSince 2008 the state transport department has issued multiple safety directives through government resolutions GRsmdashnotably in July 2008 March 2011 and 2013mdash followed by several amendments over the years But despite these recurring efforts lapses in implementation have persisted A string of incidents highlights the continued risks faced by schoolchildren during their daily commutesWith renewed public and administrative focus on student transport safety all eyes are on the new regulations what they propose how they improve upon past guidelines and whether they can finally bring meaningful change To explore this midday spoke to committee members drafting the new policy school administrators former officials bus operators and parentteacher association PTA representativesThe state transport department has announced that a new regulatory framework will be introduced next academic year Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said a panelmdashled by retired transport officer Jitendra Patilmdashwill draft the rules after reviewing the old policy and consulting stakeholdersThe move comes amid complaints from parents about opaque fee structures and rising safety concerns Proposed measures include mandatory panic buttons firesuppression sprinklers GPS tracking and CCTV cameras in every school bus Operators collecting transport fees may also be required to provide centralised CCTV monitoring across their fleets Additionally Sarnaik has asked the panel to address parent demands for monthly fee collection instead of a lump sumThese changes build on earlier state orders Maharashtra first issued comprehensive schoolbus guidelines in 2008 formalised in 2011 under the School Bus Rules These mandated transport committees at schools to verify permits fire extinguishers firstaid kits and other safety equipment But implementation was uneven A 2011 resolution intended for all 100000 schools was never fully executed A stricter 2013 GR which wouldrsquove made principals responsible for transport safety and banned private vans and autos was withdrawn after oppositionSince then childrights panels have recommended additionsmdashlike mandatory female attendants and policeverified driversmdashbut followthrough has been spotty Parents allege that enforcement gaps have allowed safety violations to continue Some operators they claim charge an annual fee for only ten months of serviceRecent accidents underline the dangersIn 2009 a bus fire in Panvel left several injured In November 2024 a school bus crash in Nagpur killed a student The bus lacked a valid permit and only secured few documents hours after the accident April 2025 saw a Navi Mumbai bus driver arrested for sexually assaulting a fouryearold boy Silent protests by parents followedPTA member Kalpana KashyapKumar from south Mumbai said ldquoFrom 2008 to 2025 several new and amended policies have been announced but cases of rash driving abuse and poor safety still continue Either the rules are flawed or theyrsquore never implemented properly It feels like wersquore going in circles and a solution is nowhere in sightrdquo School bus operators however are dividedAnil Garg of the School Bus Owners Association SBOA questioned the need for new rules ldquoEvery time therersquos a new minister therersquos a new policy We already have the 2011 policy and Supreme Court guidelinesWhatrsquos needed is groundlevel enforcement not more rulesrdquo Garg added that illegal vans and autorickshaws ferrying children remain the real threat ldquoTheyrsquore overcrowded unregulated and ignored by authoritiesrdquo he saidHe also warned that mandatory GPS and CCTV will increase operational costs Meanwhile other states are also tightening norms Bihar has mandated GPS panic buttons reflective signs and firstaid kits on school buses while Kerala will require three CCTV cameras per bus from April 2025 Cases of molestation and sexual assault by staff have pushed schools to install CCTV conduct background checks and appoint female attendants but incidents continueActivist Indrani Malkani said ldquoDuring the meeting on Thursday discussions were held regarding the concerns raised by various stakeholders particularly about van operators ferrying school children The primary issue is safe transportation of children to and from schoolsrdquoTen school bus incidents that made headlines1 June 28 2010Std VII student Hamza Siddiqui 12 crushed by a school bus in Andheri W2 October 2010Sixtyeight students narrowly escaped after a bus rammed into a signal in Panvel3 Sept 22 2011Elevenyearold Akib Shaikh fell from a moving bus in Bandra No attendant present4 Nov 23 2011Nineyearold Viraj Parmar died after hitting an ad board while leaning out of a bus window in Sion5 Dec 12 2011Farida Qazi 32 killed by a school bus at Kumud Vidyamandir premises6 May 2016A 25yearold driver arrested for molesting a nursery student7 Feb 2024Attendant arrested for molesting six girls and two boys during a school trip8 June 2024Three students injured in a JJ Flyover accident driver lost control9 March 2025Two school bus drivers arrested in Sion and Kurar for molesting minor girls10 April 2025Bus driver arrested in Nerul for sexually assaulting a fouryearold boyatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params