The transport department in Bengaluru conducted a surprise raid on Tuesday, August 22, revealing that 40 school vans, few of them attached to reputed private schools, were operating without valid permits and fitness certificates. The schools were accordingly impounded.

These vans were found operating on a whiteboard registration; a few were even overloading children, and not following any safety protocol. Officials led by Joint Commissioner of Transport (Bengaluru Urban) Shobha carried out the raids, reported The New Indian Express.

The Joint Commissioner addressed the media after the raid, saying, “The raids are part of a routine exercise to check vehicles ferrying children to schools. During the raids, we found several vehicles not having permits and had whiteboard registration, against the law. Some of them have not even paid taxes and the fitness certificates of the vehicles are not renewed.”

Sobha added that parents, before booking a school van for their children, should have the responsibility to check if the vehicle has all the valid and necessary documents and if it is adhering to required safety protocols. She also urged vehicle owners to operate only after obtaining valid documents and to follow safety norms. 

A transport official said that school vans should have a contract carriage permit and should not retrofit any extra seats to accommodate more children, added TNIE. The vehicles must have grills on windows and provisions to place school bags below the seats. 

These rules are flouted, the official said, adding that using auto rickshaws (that have a yellow-coloured canvas hood) to ferry children is illegal as the Karnataka Motor Vehicles Rules mandate that only a hard-top vehicle should be used as school vans.