3,700 buses yet to be certified

About 3,727 school buses are yet to be examined by RTA officials for fitness before the beginning of the new academic year.

The city has nearly 10,500 school busses with several educational institutes in GHMC limits falling under Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy and Medchal districts.

The transport department began sending letters to the managements of schools and educational institutions for sending their vehicles to the concerned RTA offices for renewal of fitness. So far about 70 per cent of the institutes responded to the letters and have been sending their busses for fitness.

Till Monday, 3,100 buses were given fitness certificates in Ranga Reddy district of the 4,350 followed by Hyderabad (805/2,059) and Medchal (3,050/4,100).

An official source from the transport department said that with the resources and infrastructure available with RTA offices, 250 buses could get fitness per day. “There are only five working days left for the certification before the new academic year starts. The transport staff may inspect at least 1,250 school buses for fitness. The remaining may get fitness after June 12. Our task force team will raid those buses which do not have fitness after June 12,” the source said.

Ranga Reddy District Transport Officer Muppala Praveen Rao said that as per the new rule imposed by the Central government, the IT wing of transport department upgraded software to ensure denying fitness to buses that are over 15 years old. “The software itself declares such buses deemed to be unfit for carrying students. The decision comes in view of safety of students,” he said. Hyderabad Traffic DCP A.V. Ranganath said that the department was holding counselling sessions with managements of the institutes.