Fitness certificate of school bus that had bamboo stick instead of gear cancelled

MUMBAI: The Andheri regional transport office (RTO) on Thursday cancelled the fitness certificate of a bus, belonging to an international school in the western suburbs, after it found that a broken gear lever was replaced with a bamboo stick.

The RTO issued two notices to the owner for suspension of the school bus permit and cancellation of the fitness certificate, which certifies a vehicle’s roadworthiness. It has given the owner three days to reply to the notices.

On Wednesday, the school bus crashed into a car in Khar, while it was carrying students. When

the police arrived at the spot, they learnt that a bamboo stick was being used in place of the gear lever.

No casualties were reported. The driver, identified as Raj

Kumar, was arrested and later released on bail. During investigation, the driver said that the gear had broken a few days ago and he had been using the bamboo stick since.

“As per the procedure, we have served a notice to the bus owner for suspension of the permit and cancellation of its fitness certificate,” said Abhay Deshpande, regional transport officer, Andheri RTO.

The notice states that the act, which violated the Motor Vehicle Act 1988, was irresponsible and could have endangered the lives of the students on board. RTO officers said they cannot allow the bus to ply without rectification. It is learnt that the school bus fitness certificate and insurance were valid until May 2019.

The traffic department is currently observing the 30th road safety week, which began on February 4 and concludes on February 10.