Parents demand speed governors in school buses

NT Correspondent
Bengaluru

Instances of school buses driving rashly come up often from across the city. While the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses that take up ferrying of school children have speed controllers installed to curb harsh driving, such a mandate is not followed by most private buses.

Parents and motorists say it would keep them anxiety free if the private buses had speed controllers installed too. Most schools outsource their transport facilities to private enterprises and tend to not take responsibility when a mishap occurs.

Manila Carvalho, Principal of Delhi Public School (East) said they have outsourced their fleet of school buses. “We do have speed governors on the buses and go through regular checks. It must be followed by every other school as a mandate,” she said.

According to Supreme Court directives, all school vehicles must have speed governors that are set to 40km per hour. Along with this the driver must have a minimum of five years of experience, the bus must be painted with a uniform colour and the name of the school must be prominently written on both sides, and the windows of the school bus must be fitted with horizontal grills.

However, the reality on the roads of the city is different. “All the BMTC buses have speed controllers installed. The private buses must be constantly scrutinised to see if they have speed controllers installed,” said Anand from Karnataka State Road Transport Employees League.

“When they are riding amidst Bengaluru’s traffic, it is best to take a safety precaution and have these speed governors installed. A single wrong decision could ruin the future of many children,” he added. He also said the school authorities must stay vigilant regarding their transport facilities and must hold violators accountable