The Road Transport Authority, Guntur, has cracked the whip on erring school managements plying buses without proper fitness certificates.
Deputy Transport Commissioner Raja Ratnam said that 13 buses, which were not having proper fitness certificates, have been seized so far as part of a special State-wide drive.
The RTA officials say that drive will be continued. “There are estimated 500-900 buses in the district without the mandatory fitness certificate. It is becoming difficult to enforce the rules, and the school managements should ensure voluntary compliance,’’ Mr. Ratnam told The Hindu .
But fees is not so low
Schools in Guntur charge a fee ranging from ₹2,000 to ₹4,000 per annum for each student. Many parents opt for buses as they consider it a safe mode of travel than being packed in autorickshaws.
But the RTA officials appeared clueless on enforcing the ban on those buses without fitness certificates. Some of the school managements opt for a way out by procuring second handed buses from Chennai and Karnataka and change their registration numbers.
