School buses to become mandatory soon

The state transport ministry is planning to implement a proposal towards making school buses mandatory for students. The ministry is also mulling over banning private vehicles' drops for school kids.

The proposal is most likely to be implemented this year as majority of the schools are in favour of it.

In September 2008, MiD DAY reported a story about a committee comprising senior IAS officers including U P S Madan of the Mumbai Transformation Support Unit, which drafted a proposal to make school buses mandatory for students to travel to school and back.

The proposal was mainly drafted to decrease traffic congestion during peak hours.To make this move successful, the committee in the proposal also recommended that subsidies be granted to schools.

Vandana Lulla, principal of Poddar World School in Santacruz, has welcomed the move. Lulla had incidentally written to the parents to send their children in school buses after the Millat school tragedy in January, where five children were killed and six were injured in a private van blaze.

However, some parents are unhappy with the move as they feel that most of the school buses are overpriced. They are also worried about the fact that buses are not in good shape, and are also crowded.

Viral Shah, a Mulund resident, sends her child to school in a Matador (Van), which can ply 15 to 20 children. "Since schools don't provide good buses and overcharge, I find private vehicles convenient. If the incentives that the government grant schools are used properly, then I will consider sending my child in a school bus," said Shah.