Over 2k school vehicles in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad yet to clear fitness checks

Hindustan Times

a day ago

PUNE: Despite prior warnings from the Regional Transport Office (RTO) and the new academic year having begun already, over 2,000 school buses and vans across Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad are yet to undergo the mandatory fitness checks, raising serious concerns about the safety of thousands of schoolchildren.
According to official data, Pune has 7,103 while Pimpri-Chinchwad has 3,195 registered school buses and vans, totalling 10,298 such vehicles used for ferrying students. Of these, only 8,136 have valid fitness certificates while 2,162 vehicles — including 1,403 in Pune and 759 in Pimpri-Chinchwad — are still to renew their fitness certificates.
Swapnil Bhosale, deputy regional transport officer, Pune, said, 'These vehicles are not roadworthy as per records. We have launched an inspection drive to verify whether these vehicles are still operating. If they are found to be running without valid fitness certificates, strict action will follow under the Motor Vehicles Act. We have consistently instructed school authorities and vehicle owners and even set up special facilities to ensure timely inspections. Still, some continue to disregard these warnings.'
'We have consistently warned school authorities and vehicle owners. Student safety is non-negotiable. Despite repeated communication, some continue to ignore the directives, which is unacceptable,' Bhosale said.
Sandesh Chavan, deputy regional transport officer, Pimpri-Chinchwad, echoed similar concerns. 'Driving unfit vehicles for school transport is a direct risk to children's lives. We have instructed our teams to carry out thorough checks, and penalties will be imposed wherever norms are violated.'
Ahead of the new academic year, the RTO had issued clear instructions to school bus- and van- operators to complete their vehicles' fitness renewals on time. Special inspection facilities had also been set up to facilitate timely checks. However, several school transport vehicle owners and school authorities have failed to comply.
Meanwhile, fitness checks are not the only concern. The Pune police had earlier laid out specific guidelines limiting the number of students per vehicle to 10 students per van and five students per auto-rickshaw. Directions had been issued to set up CCTV cameras in school transport vehicles to ensure the children's safety. Still, even in the first week of the new academic year, blatant violations have been observed. Several school transport vehicles have been found to be overcrowded and flouting traffic norms including driving recklessly through narrow lanes. On Tuesday morning, multiple school vans and rickshaws were seen speeding across the inner roads of the city while ferrying more than the permitted number of students. These violations have once again highlighted the fragility of a system that is meant to safeguard schoolchildren.
Neha Ghatpande, a Kothrud resident and mother of a class 3 student, said, 'Every morning, I send my eight-year-old daughter in a clearly overloaded van that barely looks roadworthy. There are no seat belts, no proper supervision, and now we learn that many such vehicles have not even cleared basic fitness checks. It is shocking. Why is this allowed to continue?'
Similarly, Pallavi Pandit, mother of a class 2 student, said, 'Both my husband and I are working so we completely depend on the school van service. But how are we supposed to verify whether the vehicle is fit or not? Isn't it the school's responsibility to ensure the safety of school transport… and the RTO must enforce rules strictly.'
The authorities have warned that school transport vehicles found operating without valid fitness certificates or violating safety norms will not only face steep fines but may also have their permits revoked.