Mumbai: There have been several instances lately of private vans ferrying schoolchildren unauthorisedly, and the RTO should crack a whip on such vehicles, said School Bus Owners’ Association (SBOA) president Anil Garg .“This is the second such incident reported to our association in a week,” he told TOI, adding that last week, he had a meeting with senior transport officials and the latter promised him that there would be a crackdown by RTO on illegal vans across Mumbai Metropolitan Region. “I hope the RTO and police seriously conduct these drives in the larger interest of student safety,” Garg said.He further said that vans do not follow school bus safety rules, have no women attendants, and carry more children than permissible. He met senior officials from the transport department last week, and was assured that the RTO will crack a whip on such vehicles illegally ferrying schoolchildren.The prevalence of vehicles operating without proper permits has increased notably, said Garg. He criticised the passive stance of both RTO and traffic police, whilst raising concerns about accident accountability. He noted that unlike school bus contractors, who operate under institutional supervision and accept liability, the responsibility remains unclear for van operators.The ‘illegal van’ matter has been escalated to Bombay high court by SBOA. The association, the main petitioner, has long decried the “growing menace” of unauthorised vans operating without permits and ferrying children in overcrowded, unsafe conditions across the city. Despite repeated appeals and submission of evidence to the transport commissioner, the issue remains unresolved, said an SBOA member. School bus operators report that unauthorised vans and private vehicles transporting students with minimal regard for safety protocols or transport regulations have grown to 2.5 times the number of authorised school buses currently operating in Mumbai. The count of regulation-compliant school buses reduced to approximately 6,000 from 8,000 in recent years, while the number of non-compliant vehicles increased to 15,000 in Mumbai.
