Pune: As many as 846 school buses and vans out of the 8,152 school transport vehicles registered in Pune are still operating without valid fitness certificates, despite the academic session having begun nearly seven months ago.The figure, which accounts for nearly 11% of the total, has raised serious safety concerns among parents. Many questioned how these vehicles were allowed to ferry students for months without meeting mandatory safety requirements. “This puts children’s lives at risk. It is shocking that such vehicles have been permitted to operate for over seven months without the RTO trying to identify and penalise them,” said a parent.At the beginning of every academic year, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) issues instructions to school transport operators to update or renew their fitness certificates. Vehicles are required to undergo inspections to ensure compliance with prescribed safety norms, and schools are also informed of the process.Parents, however, claimed that the checks were either incomplete or not carried out thoroughly.“This clearly indicates that the RTO has failed to check all vehicles. Some transporters may not have turned up, and it appears the RTO did not follow up either. The RTO must first verify whether these vehicles are still operating, and if they are, taking action should be a priority,” said another parent from Baner.Concerns intensified on Wednesday after RTO officials intercepted a school van with a fake registration number plate. An FIR has been registered at the Baner police station against the driver and owner of the vehicle, and further investigations are underway.“There could be many such cases. Could regular vans have been painted to resemble school vans? What are the authorities doing about this?” asked Paras Budhia, a parent and resident of Mundhwa.Any transporter seeking to operate vehicles as school transport must obtain a special permit from the local RTO.A senior official said a special drive has been launched, with road safety squads deployed across the Pune region. “Our task is to inspect all school buses and vans from a road safety perspective, including checks of all documents. It was through this drive that the van with the fake registration number was detected, and we intend to intensify these efforts,” the official said.However, parents remained sceptical of these assurances. “While sudden enforcement drives are necessary, the fundamental question remains: why are all vehicles not thoroughly checked at the beginning of the academic session? If this were done diligently, such alarming situations could easily be avoided,” said Kalyaninagar resident Nidhi Pandey, whose two children attend school.
