Stricter rules for buses, carpooling services ferrying school students

The state transport department is considering stricter rules for regulation of carpooling services and buses ferrying school children. In a meeting on Tuesday, the transport department held a meeting with all stakeholders to discuss the modified guidelines for school buses and carpooling services.

In Tuesday’s meeting, it was decided that the government would organise virtual awareness programmes to ensure safety of students and their parents. Officials would also be putting up banners in front of schools with contact details of registered carpooling services.

“It is also parents’ responsibility to check if the carpooling service they have chosen for their children has systems like tracking devices and speed limit devices,” said a transport department official. “It will be mandatory for every school bus or carpooling vehicle to have an attendant for students. The transport department and school authorities will record all information about drivers”said the official.