It was a familiar experience for some parents when the schools reopened on Monday as children waited at bus stops and bus drivers arrived late because their routes were changed. However, some smart mothers resorted to technology to keep themselves informed about the bus their children took to school.
One parent from Kumaran’s ICSE School said that his son had to wait for an hour before his bus arrived. When he tried calling the bus driver — from Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) — there was no response and later, he learnt that the bus had a different driver post the vacation.
A teacher who did not want her school name to be identified said that it is usual every time schools reopen after vacations. The drivers are different or the route is changed and the bus arrives late and there is no option but to wait at the bus stop. On Monday, one bus arrived at 10 a.m. She said, “This takes up to a week to settle down.”
Savitha, another parent from the same school, said that her daughter had to go to another bus stop. As there were three students and one teacher at the bus stop, the teacher accompanied them to the new bus stop. She said that she relied on her WhatsApp networking for clarity. She is part of a set of five mothers with children travelling in the same bus.
She said that WhatsApp is useful at other times too. If the school has given a project to the students, they remind one another of finding material for it or finishing it by the deadline. She said, “The children are unaware of this networking.”
Veeregowda G.N., General Manager (Traffic), BMTC, said, “There is no problem. They are the same drivers. It will be alright.”
He said that it is possible that some drivers are on leave and there could be a substitute driver. However, they could not be accessible all the time on phone as they are not supposed to speak while driving.
Latha G., a parent from Baldwin’s School, which has its own buses, said that the delay could be because all parents dropped children to school in their cars on the first day as they have to deposit 15 textbooks, which children find difficult to carry while travelling in buses.
