{
  "id": 328581,
  "title": "School transport & Safety: Over 1,400 school transport vehicles await fitness renewal",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/school-transport-safety-over-1-400-school-transport-vehicles-await",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-08T17:02:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/pune-pcmc-school-bus-fitness-renewal-rto-crackdown-fares-10824222/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "More than 1,400 school transport vehicles registered with the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad Regional Transport Offices are awaiting renewal of their fitness certificates, despite ongoing concerns about child safety. Out of 7,534 registered vehicles with Pune RTO, 785 have expired certificates, while around 700 of the 3,305 registered buses with Pimpri-Chinchwad RTO need renewal. These figures have raised questions about the enforcement of safety norms for school transport vehicles.\n\nRahul Jadhav, a Wakad resident, questioned the delay in the renewal process, suggesting that authorities should conduct tests during school vacations. Rohit Dokh, an IT professional, criticized the practice of overcrowding in smaller vehicles, calling for regular inspections and strict action against violations. Atharva Barje, a Bavdhan resident, demanded more intervention in regulating school transport operators, emphasizing the need for regular inspections of vehicles, drivers, and operators, especially for rash driving.\n\nDeputy RTO Swapnil Bhosale acknowledged that RTO officials conduct regular inspections for rash driving, overcrowding, and other violations. Since April 2025, the Pimpri-Chinchwad RTO has penalized numerous vehicles and recovered over Rs 65.93 lakh in fines. The Pune RTO has also taken action against over 472 vehicles for violations and recovered Rs 30.69 lakh in fines.\n\nRegarding overcrowding, Bhosale explained that the total number of children under 12 in a vehicle cannot exceed 1.5 times the registered seating capacity. Moreover, the transport department has initiated a fare-fixation process, fixing a base fare per kilometre per student for school buses, with a monthly or quarterly fare variation limit of 10%.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}