Smaller buses to ferry school kids from June in Mumbai

Parents say big school buses do not drop off their children to school or their society's gate as they cannot fit into narrow lanes

Even as school vans have been banned, parents across the city continue to patronise them for their building gate-to-school gate service. Unlike school buses that drop students off on the main road as they are unable to fit into narrow lanes, these vans ensure the child is dropped right at their respective gates. Taking cognisance of the requirement, School Bus Owners' Association (SBOA) is planning to bring in smaller buses from the next academic year.

In a recent development, any vehicle with the capacity of less than 13 seats cannot ply schoolchildren. However, contradictory to the order, parents continue to send their children in school vans.

Anil Garg, president of SBOA, said, "Despite the central government order in September 2016 about vehicles with fewer than 13 seats not being allowed to ply as school buses, we see many of them still running in the city. The RTO takes no action and they also have the support of parents. That's why we have planned to introduce smaller buses."

"Our plan is good news for parents as not only will the smaller size ensure that children reach the doorstep, we will also ensure other safety precautions exactly like there are in school buses," he added.

Milind Gangurde, from the Parents of Private Schools of Maharashtra, said, "It appears to be a good move. But, we will only be able to say for sure once the service is in practice. There are other aspects, too, such as what will be the fee for these smaller buses, will the buses fit in narrow lanes, and so on."