City traffic police have written to all school managements and private school van association, requesting them to implement the Supreme Court guidelines for vehicles ferrying children to schools.
The Supreme Court had last year issued a set of 18 guidelines. The State Transport department has issued a notification which is in force from May 1.
Additional Commissioner (Traffic and Security) M A Saleem said he had written to all school managements and private vehicle associations that they should follow and implement all 18 guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court at the earliest.
Though the deadline set was May 1 and the notification was in force from that day itself, the City traffic police aren’t booking cases against those who are yet to comply with the guidelines. He said the department is holding awareness drives on the guidelines all through the month of May.
Saleem said they would start booking cases and penalising offenders only from June 1 as most schools reopen by then. Cases would be booked against the driver for violation of permit conditions according to Motor Vehicle Act, under which the penalty might be a minimum of Rs 2,000.
The City traffic police wouldn’t collect penalty on the spot and book cases and send them to courts.
The City traffic police have also decided to write to the Transport department to cancel the permit of vehicles found to be violating the rule in the first instance itself.
Guidelines
*School cabs shall be fitted with speed governors with maximum speed limit of 40 kmph and the age of school vehicle shall not be more than 15 years.
* The body of school cab shall be highway yellow colour with a horizontal strip in green colour of 150 mm wide in the middle all around the vehicle and the words “School cab” Shall be prominently displayed on all four sides of the vehicle.
* If age of schoolchildren is below 12 years, the number of children carried shall not exceed 1 ½ time the permitted seating capacity.
* Schoolchildren above 12 years shall be treated as one person, in case of vehicle fitted with LPG kit, the authorized LPG kit to be installed and certified by the registering authority, no seating arrangement over LPG tank, no tinted or coloured glass permitted - only plain white glass shall be fitted, manufacturers seating capacity shall not be altered.
*Doors of the Cab shall be fitted with reliable locks.
* The driver of a school cab must have valid licence to drive LMV-transport vehicles for a period of at least four years, the driver shall wear light blue shirt, light blue trouser and black shoes. His nameplate shall also be displayed on the shirt, there shall be sufficient space provided to keep school bags inside the vehicle.
* No roof carriers allowed and no bags shall be hanged on the outer portion of the body, the name and address / telephone of the permit holder shall be painted or affixed to the school cab on the rear exterior of the body.
* Complete list of the children carrying in the school cab indicating the name, class, residential address, blood group and the points of stoppage, route plan attested by the school authority shall be carried.
* In case of emergency, the school cab driver/ attendant shall inform the school authority about the incidence and make necessary arrangements for safety of schoolchildren.
*In case of kindergarten, if an authorized person recognised mutually by the school and parents, does not come to pick the child from the halting points and such child shall be taken back to the school and their parents should be called to fetch the child.
* The vehicle used as school cab shall be closed body type with hard top.
* No vehicle with canvas hood can be permitted to
carry children.