Telangana Govt starts issuing fitness certificates to school buses

Officials from the transport department attached to Rangareddy district sprang into action on Wednesday and conducted inspections of the condition of school buses in the district. This comes close on the heels of a review meeting chaired by transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar with road transport officials, especially to discuss the fitness of buses used by educational institutions in the state. The minister urged the officials to direct every management to do away with 15-year-old vehicles for the safety of the children and staff.

According to Mamindla Chandra Shekhar Goud deputy transport commissioner, joint RR district, cases have been registered against institutions after 40 school buses were found unfit to carry children. There are 23,829 school buses in Telangana with the highest number being in Rangareddy district with 5,733. It is followed by Medchal- Malkajgiri district (5,610) and Hyderabad (1290). According to authorities, around 5,000 vehicles are



yet to undergo fitness tests.

Joint transport commissioner C. Ramesh explained, “school buses are being given certificates with one-year validity from today (June 12). They will lapse on May 15. It is mandatory to have a driver and an attendant for every bus.” Explaining the other mandates for school buses, he said “the name of the institution and their phone numbers should be written clearly on the vehicle. The driver, who must be in uniform, should carry his health card and he has to undergo quarterly tests with regard to his health and eyesight. 

The committee of parents must be given details of every driver who is appointed by the institution. First-aid boxes and basic medicines must be there in every bus and the parents committee should monitor these aspects on a regular basis. Each bus should carry a register having details of the children traveling in it.”