Jamshedpur authorities have given school van, bus and autorickshaw operators 15 days to meet vehicle fitness and documentation requirements after a surprise inspection found multiple violations, including incomplete papers and vehicles failing prescribed safety standards.
Transport officials and police personnel carried out the inspection outside Rajendra Vidyalaya and Sacred Heart Convent School on Thursday. The teams checked fitness certificates, driving licences, insurance documents, pollution certificates and permits for vehicles ferrying students.
District transport officer Maheshwari Prasad Yadav and traffic deputy superintendent of police Neeraj Kumar led the inspections. According to Yadav, the drive followed complaints that some school transport vehicles were carrying more students than their permitted capacity.
The inspection teams found several shortcomings. Some vehicles did not meet the prescribed fitness standards, while others had incomplete, outdated or missing documents. Officials also checked whether vans, buses and autorickshaws were carrying students beyond their approved capacity.
“Vehicle operators have been asked to ensure that their vehicles meet the standards and have all necessary documents within 15 days. Those found failing to requirements will face action,” Yadav said. Drivers found violating the rules were also reprimanded during the drive.
Kumar said operators and drivers had been instructed to comply with Supreme Court guidelines and the prescribed safety standards for school transport vehicles. Vehicles found carrying students beyond their permitted capacity would attract heavy fines under the Motor Vehicles Act, he said. In serious cases, officials may seize the vehicles.
The enforcement action places responsibility on more than just individual drivers. District transport officials have asked school managements to hold meetings with vehicle operators and ensure that the required standards are met. The instruction also brings schools into the compliance chain by asking them to monitor the vehicles used to transport their students.
Parents have been advised not to send children in vehicles that are unfit for road use or have been declared condemned. The warning is significant because school transport often operates through a mix of privately run vans, buses and autorickshaws, making documentation, vehicle condition and passenger capacity central to enforcement.
The traffic police said the inspection drive would continue and that action would be taken against operators found violating the rules. The immediate deadline for operators is 15 days, after which officials have warned of penalties and, in serious cases, seizure of vehicles.
