No fitness, overloading: 15 school, college buses seized after minor died in Hayathnagar accident

Hyderabad: Regional Transport Authority (RTA) officials, Vanasthalipuram, have seized as many as 15 school buses and vans. They registered cases against the vehicle owners for several violations including lack of fitness, overloading, usage of non-transport vehicles to ferry students and lack of awareness of drivers on road safety.

The action by the RTA officials came following the tragic death of a four-year-old girl who was run over by a school bus at Hayathnagar on Thursday.

As part of the special drive, the officials, led by Manneguda RTO Subash Chandra Reddy and motor vehicle inspector (MVI) Munni, intercepted school and college buses of various educational institutions in Vanasthalipuram.

School and college buses to be inspected daily

“During the special drive, the department seized buses of various prominent educational institutions for overloading the students despite knowing it was a violation. We have initiated special drives to ensure the safety and compliance of school buses and other vehicles transporting students,” Subash Chandra Reddy said.

The RTO further noted that special teams were formed to undertake the inspections every day during peak hours, with a particular emphasis on vehicle fitness, driver’s license and compliance with traffic rules, particularly the prevention of overloading and underage driving.

Cases will be filed for infractions against the school and college buses that fail to fulfil safety standards, Reddy said, and advised parents to verify the credentials of drivers and vehicles used to ferry their children and to avoid overloading them.