Over 1,300 School Transport Vehicles in Pune Lack Valid Fitness Certificates, Raising Safety Concerns
In a concerning development, the Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) has reported that 1,333 registered school transport vehicles in the city currently lack valid fitness certificates. The revelation has sparked fears over student safety and raised serious questions about regulatory oversight.
According to official data, Pune has a total of 7,103 school transport vehicles on record, which includes both buses and vans. Out of these, only 5,700 have up-to-date fitness certificates, leaving a significant number operating in potentially unsafe conditions or, at the very least, registered without proof of fitness compliance.
Safety First: Fitness Certificates Are Mandatory
Fitness certificates are mandatory under the Motor Vehicles Act to ensure that public transport vehicles, including those that ferry school children, meet the prescribed safety and emission standards. Without this certification, vehicles are not permitted to operate legally.
An RTO official emphasized the importance of the ongoing compliance drive, stating,
“We have been continuously asking all school transport vehicles to obtain fitness certificates. The drive is currently on. They need to get these certificates for the sake of safety.”
Despite these efforts, the official acknowledged a glaring gap in enforcement—the authorities are unsure whether the 1,333 uncertified vehicles are still operational.
“We don’t know that right now. If some of these are caught during the drive, we will know. Also, schools can help by checking the fitness certificates of the vehicles and reporting to us if they don’t find one,” the official added.
Questions Over Accountability and Monitoring
This ambiguity around operational status has not gone down well with many Pune residents, especially parents of school-going children. The idea that authorities are unsure about whether unfit vehicles are still transporting children has triggered widespread concern.
Sriram Kadam, a resident of NIBM Road and parent of two schoolchildren, criticized the lack of accountability:
“It is the job of the RTO to check such vehicles and prevent them from operating. If they have a list of registered vehicles, they can easily determine how many are operating without valid fitness certificates. How can they say they have no clue?”
Similarly, A.K. Thakur, a parent from Baner, echoed this sentiment and pointed to the collective failure of the system:
“The RTO can contact the schools, too. Some schools don’t inspect the fitness of these vehicles. Then, some vans don’t approach the RTO for certification. Many parents also don’t care. We all must realise that acting casually can lead to a major accident any time. The RTO needs to be proactive on this.”
Start-of-Term Oversight and Need for Stronger Enforcement
According to another RTO official, the process of obtaining fitness certificates typically picks up momentum at the beginning of a new academic session. However, despite this seasonal pattern, the official acknowledged the need for stricter action:
“We are intensifying the drive at the moment. We will be able to identify them.”
This statement suggests a reactive rather than proactive approach, relying on drives and checks to identify violations rather than enforcing routine, real-time tracking of vehicle compliance.
Collaboration Between Schools, Parents, and RTO is Essential
While the RTO has urged schools to verify whether the transport vehicles they hire or allow on their campuses possess valid fitness certificates, not all schools are diligent in doing so. This lack of a consistent verification mechanism makes it easier for uncertified vehicles to continue operating undetected.
The situation underscores the need for a multi-stakeholder approach involving:
- RTO officials are actively monitoring and penalizing non-compliant vehicles
- Schools are conducting thorough checks before hiring transport services
- Parents are demanding and verifying safety documentation from vehicle operators
What’s at Stake: Student Safety
The fitness certificate is not a mere formality. It encompasses checks for:
- Brake efficiency
- Emission control
- Structural integrity
- Functioning of safety equipment
Operating a vehicle without such a certificate is equivalent to endangering every child onboard. In recent years, multiple road accidents involving school vehicles across India have been linked to poor maintenance and a lack of regulatory compliance.
Given the scale—over 1,300 uncertified vehicles in a single city—the risk is far from theoretical.
The Way Forward: Digital Tracking and Real-Time Monitoring
To prevent such situations, experts recommend introducing a real-time digital dashboard that tracks the status of all registered school transport vehicles. This can be integrated with:
- Vehicle registration databases
- School transport logs
- Fitness certificate validity data
Such a system would immediately flag lapses and trigger alerts, ensuring that no uncertified vehicle is permitted to operate.
Moreover, stricter penalties and routine inspections without prior notice could act as effective deterrents against violations.
Conclusion
The RTO’s disclosure has raised alarm bells in Pune’s education and parenting community. With over 1,300 school transport vehicles lacking valid fitness certificates, urgent intervention is required to plug the compliance gap.
Safety on school commutes must be non-negotiable. While regulatory authorities have a central role, the responsibility also lies with schools and parents to demand transparency and accountability. Until proactive systems are in place, every uncertified vehicle on the road is a risk no child should be exposed to.
