MUMBAI: State transport commissioner Avinash Dhakne on Tuesday issued SOPs for school buses. The important directives are to ensure that each bus has 50% occupancy, and driver and attendant must be fully vaccinated.
“We have issued SOPs to bus operators and given them a chance to get pending fitness tests (of buses) on Saturdays and Sundays, when RTOs will be open,” said Dhakne. School buses and staff will have to comply with Covid prevention rules and Covid-appropriate behaviour norms, as notified by state government.
“All vehicles, be it mini-buses or normal buses, will have to be fumigated before/after journey, and kept clean throughout the trip. The driver and attendant should wear masks all the time and use sanitisers,” it said.
Dhakne instructed bus operators to keep an masks, which can be given to students if needed. “Attendants must sanitise hands of students boarding the bus and use thermal guns to check temperature. If there are symptom of fever or cough, the attendant should not allow the students and contact the parents,” the SOPs stated. Attendants have to ensure social distancing in the bus. “Each student should be seated with adequate gap/distance maintained from fellow students in the bus. Ideally, the total carrying capacity should be not more than 50%,” the SOPs said.
Bus operators will have to sign an agreement with school authorities before plying. Those who violate the rules face stringent punishment under Disaster Management Act and Motor Vehicle Rules.
