Govt tweaks rules to make ‘unauthorised' school vans legit
According to the draft, buses are vehicles that ferry more than 13 passengers while vans carry less than 12. Earlier, the seating capacity ascertained by the government were 6 students. 'With this rule-tweaking, we want to strictly regulate vans ferrying school students,' said an official from the transport department. 'Legit school vans will have a colour code with 'school van' written on them. They will not be allowed to ferry other passengers apart from students. They will have to follow the safety norms applicable to buses, such as having aluminium mesh on windows and first-aid boxes and cannot ferry more students than the seating capacity of the van.' The government expects school vans to be specially designed and constructed vehicles and Type Approval Certificates to be issued by empanelled government agencies.
Another officer said that the new order would help the government decongest the roads. 'School buses ply for specific times of the day and specific periods of the year,' he said. 'The rest of the time, they are parked on the roads, creating traffic jams. Vans are ideal for narrow lanes and convenient for parents, as they give doorstep service. With certain conditions and specially designed vehicles, we expect more safety measures like more height to be introduced.'
The Bombay high court in 2020 banned the transporting of schoolchildren in 'soft top' autos although it had allowed vans with a seating capacity of six. After the 2019 amendment to the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, however, there was a question mark on the legality of the existing vans. While the court case is still being heard, the state government has tweaked the definition of a school van.
Anil Garg, president of the School Bus Owners Association, said the government's order would not stand legal scrutiny, as the matter was sub-judice and the Central Motor Vehicles Act would have to be amended first. 'Vans are illegally plying in connivance with transport and police officers,' he said. 'This new policy will encourage more small vehicles on the roads, which is against the government's aim of mass transport and decongesting roads. The occupants of seven such vans can fit into one school bus.'
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