School buses get govt's nod; SOPs issued

A day after mid-day's report about the issue, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday night released a 15-point Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for school bus operations. School bus owners' and operators' losses due to the pandemic had been pegged at Rs 3,000 crore in the state. While school buses can begin operations with immediate effect, they have to still consult with individual schools to work out the logistics.

The 15-point SOP mentions that every bus should be sanitised, with masks compulsory for staff. Every bus must have an attendant and there should be spare masks kept ready for students on board the bus if required. There will be no entry for students without masks.

The bus should be filled only to 50 per cent capacity and every seat should have just one student on it. Students should be allowed entry after checking their temperature with thermal guns and the use of sanitisers. All the windows must be kept open for circulation of air and in case of an air-conditioned bus, the temperature must be maintained between 24 to 30 degrees celsius only.

Following the government's SOPs is mandatory for school bus operators. File pic/Satej Shinde

It will also be important to counsel students to not throw rubbish and garbage inside the bus and keep it clean and hygienic. It is also important that the school buses should only be used for the purpose intended, that is to ferry school students exclusively, and not used for any other purpose. Following of these guidelines will be mandatory for all operators under regulations of the Central Motor Vehicle Regulations 1989 and the Maharashtra Disaster Management Act 2005.

‘We are thankful'

Anil Garg, president of the School Bus Owners' Association (SBOA), Maharashtra, thanked mid-day for raising the issue at an appropriate time. "We are really thankful to mid-day for highlighting the issue. The Standard Operating Procedure was announced on Tuesday by Maharashtra Transport Commissioner Avinash Dhakne," he said.

50
Capacity (in per cent) to which a bus should be filled

Rs 3,000 CR
Losses incurred by school bus owners and operators in the state during the pandemic