School bus fees in Pune to increase from this academic year

The Pune Bus Owners Association has welcomed the road transport ministry’s recent decision about installing panic button and vehicle location tracking systems in the school buses. As a result of the decision, the association has decided that the school bus fess will increase by 8 to 10 per cent from the current academic year (2019-2020).

“According to the mandatory norms set by the road transport ministry, we have to install a panic button and a vehicle location tracking system, only after which our vehicles can compete the annual regional transport office (RTO) procedures. Safety of the children has always been our priority. In case of emergency, anyone on-board can press the panic button and get help from the police or other sources. The two elements to be installed will cost me Rs 20,000 per bus. It is not possible to bear the cost, all by ourselves. We will certainly be increasing the bus fees by 8 to 10 per cent this year,” said Rajan Junawane, vice-president of the association

Even though Junawane welcomed the decision, he insisted that the government should make a complete study of the private and school buses and give us the guidelines. “New things are being introduced every 6 to 7 months. We have been asked to introduce speed governor, rods on windows, emergency door, change of window glasses and other things. The government should give us a year’s time to implement the new things introduced,” he said.

At least 6,000 school buses are currently registered under the association in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad areas. A company or an individual owns atleast 10 school buses.

Dinesh Lohiya, a parent from Warje area said, “We pay Rs 800 as school bus fees for a month for my daughter. Now if it is going to increase. While I understand it is for the safety of the students, the additional financial burden is too much for us to bear.”

According to the new Motor Vehicles (Vehicle Location Tracking Device and Emergency Button) Order, 2018, the new norms will apply to all public transport vehicles that come under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. At the start of the fiscal year, a new regulation was proposed - the AIS140 - under which VLTs device and one or more emergency buttons have to be installed on all public transport vehicles.