MP: High Court Bans Schools Buses Over 12 Years, Issues Safety Guidelines

The court also instructed the government to make provisions for the registration, operation and management of school buses under the Motor Vehicles Act, of 1994.

Indore: A divisional bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court on Thursday banned school buses over 12 years from taking children and instructed the government to make provisions for the registration, operation and management of school buses under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1994. This is the outcome of a petition on dropping off school children in bus and rickshaw in the aftermath of an accident on January 5, 2018, claiming five.

Four students and the driver of the bus died in a horrific road accident on January 5, 2018, in the Kanada Police Station area. The bus, of the Delhi Public School, was on its way to drop the children home when it went out of control on the bypass, rammed into the divider, strayed into the other lane and collided with a truck. Many children sustained injuries in the incident, which prompted the authorities to issue various guidelines on school buses and public transport.

Hearing both parties' versions of the petition by advocate Manish Yadav, Justices Vivek Rusia and Vinod Kumar Dwivedi uttered the latest instructions.

The court ordered that buses above 12 years will not be allowed to take students and auto rickshaws can carry only three children to school. CCTV and GPS should be mandatory on every bus so that parents can track their status on mobile. An in-charge should be appointed for every bus to keep an eye on the permit, licence, fitness, criminal record of the driver and other stuff. They should be held responsible for any untoward incident.

Male, Female Teacher, Med Check Up A Must

Every school bus should have a male and a female teacher to look after the movement of children. Regular medical checkups of drivers should also be done. The government has to instruct the RTO and the DCP, traffic to strictly adhere to the guidelines.

Amending the Motor Vehicle Act, 1994

The court said the current rules are for transport vehicles and the government should come up with special provisions for school buses under the Motor Vehicle Act, 1994. Till that happens, these guidelines will remain in force. The onus of implementing them will be on the RTO, CSP, DCP of traffic. Also, the collector, SP of concerned districts will pay attention to the matter.

What the Court Said:

• The bus will be yellow in color with 'School Bus' written on it.
• The school bus should not be more than 12 years old.
• The windows of the bus should have grills, curtains and film.
• The driver should have five years of experience and hold a permanent license.
• If the driver is caught in more than one case of overspeeding or drinking and driving, he should be sacked.
• The emergency door should be on the right side and there should be a place to keep bags under the seats.
• The buses should have a fitness certificate, insurance, permit, PUC and tax.