Nagpur school bus drivers put children at risk by jumping signals, driving on wrong side

School buses in Nagpur district have become a daily example of traffic rule violations. Racing through red signals at intersections, brazenly driving on the wrong side, and speeding past the limit have become an everyday occurrence on the city's roads.

The biggest problem is that the very children who go to school to learn discipline and civic responsibility are forced to witness traffic rules being broken and learn the wrong lessons in their own school bus.

The rule-breaking starts as soon as children board the bus or van, since nearly all school bus and van drivers are seen driving without wearing seat belts. In a hurry to reach school on time or to fit in more trips, drivers race through without heeding red signals, and exceeding the speed limit is common.

On the pretext of avoiding traffic jams, these drivers do not hesitate to drive on the wrong side, which is dangerous not just for oncoming vehicles but for the children on board. Buses are also parked haphazardly outside schools and on main roads, causing heavy jams for others. School buses are supposed to have basic safety equipment such as fire extinguishers, first aid boxes, speed governors and CCTV cameras, but in most buses these are either not working or missing altogether.

When children see their own bus driver break the law, defy the police and endanger others' lives in front of their eyes every day, it has a serious impact on their young minds. Watching this daily makes children believe that breaking rules to save time or for convenience is not wrong. Frequent sudden braking, wrong-side driving and high speed also leave children fearful and insecure during the journey. The very schools that teach children moral education and civic responsibility end up running a transport system that teaches irresponsible behaviour, blurring the line between right and wrong for children.

A demand has been made to the police and administration to issue strict fines against school bus drivers who jump signals, drive on the wrong side or speed, and to suspend their driving licences and cancel the bus permit. There is a demand to implement a "stop signal" rule in India, as in the United States and Dubai, under which vehicles behind a stopped school bus must also stop or slow down. It has also been said that school management cannot wash its hands of responsibility by blaming contractors alone; if a school's bus is caught breaking rules, action should be taken against the school management as well. There has also been a demand to link the GPS and CCTV cameras of all school buses to the control rooms of the RTO and Nagpur traffic police for real-time monitoring.

It has also been suggested that workshops on road safety, traffic rules and child safety be held for bus drivers every three months, and that their character and medical fitness be strictly checked. There is a demand for a joint team of the regional transport office and traffic police to patrol and conduct surprise checks in school zones between 8 am and 10 am and between 12 pm and 3 pm. A mobile app has also been suggested, through which citizens or parents could photograph or video a rule-breaking school bus and file an immediate complaint, to be acted upon within 24 hours.