It does not matter how old a vehicle is, if its engine is fit and the body conforms with the standards laid down in the Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicles (Regulation and Control of School Buses) Special Rules, 2012, then a vehicle can be used as a school bus.
Three vehicles bearing registration numbers issued nearly two decades ago were seen lined up at the engineering college ground in Kancheepuram on Tuesday where the Regional Transport Office, Kancheepuram, had organised a special check-up camp.
When the attention of the Regional Transport Officer, K. Mohan, was drawn to this aspect, he said nowhere in the Motor Vehicles Act or Rules has the life of an automobile engine been specified. “As long as the engine is good, and the vehicle is roadworthy, it can be used as a school bus,” he said.
A panel headed by the Revenue Divisional Officer, G.Sivarudhraya, inspected the school buses for their roadworthiness.