While the typical description of a autorickshaw ferrying students, with children jostling for space and backpacks/lunch boxes dangling from its sides, holds true for several of the three-wheeled vehicles across Tirupati, there has been mixed reaction on whom to hold responsible for the precarious situation.
From this academic year, the Tirupati Road Transport Authority (RTA) has embarked on a series of measures to ensure safety of the schoolchildren.
In addition to the regular precautions such as speed governors, protective railing etc., officials have made it compulsory for buses belonging to educational institutions to be equipped with Global Position System (GPS) trackers, across Chittoor district. However, autorickshaws ferrying schoolchildren have remained on the periphery of existing regulations, plying without any discernible safety measures and overcrowding to suit the demand.
“We have been conducting regular inspections to identify those exceeding the capacity of their vehicles, slapping them with cases and fines. These checks are being conducted near to the educational institutions so that the children and managements will not face any issues. In this regard, we urge the parents to ensure the safety of their child’s transport and extend their support,” said Tirupati's Regional Transport Officer (RTO) G. Vivekananda Reddy.
The RTA officials, during a recent awareness meeting with drivers (both buses and auto-rickshaws) and the school managements, dwelt on the rules and regulations to be followed while transporting children. While some parents prefer school buses, others opt for the friendly neighbourhood “autowalah”, owing to a wide range of factors.
Trust over comfort
“We know the space is a bit crammed inside the autorickshaw, but with respect to our children’s safety, we put our trust on the auto driver, whom we have known for the past several years,” said K. Raghava Reddy, a resident of M.R. Palle in Tirupati. Another parent, on the condition of anonymity, remarked that children get used to one point of contact after school, staying away from the lure of strangers. “Safety is important than temporary discomfort. Our auto driver is a trustworthy man, almost like a family member, and our children are quite accustomed to him,” she opined.
On the other end of the spectrum, parents of children studying in schools situated on the outskirts of Tirupati, opted for school buses. “Autorickshaws are not safe on the highways and hence we preferred to send our children by school buses. Every bus is manned by a driver and an assistant, the latter who looks after children during the transit, and we are happy with the responsibility exhibited by the school management,” remarked R. Prasad Rao, a resident of Thummalagunta area in Tirupati rural mandal.
Recently, a move by a private school to ferry mini buses to places inaccessible to their regular buses, evoked mixed responses from parents. While some welcomed the move, expressing that the school-run buses were safer, others refrained from giving their feedback to the school management. As a result, the initiative was temporarily shelved.
Despite the pros and cons, a majority of them vouched for a judicious mix of both the modes of transport, adhering to the established norms and safety measures.
