Vijayawada: Of the total 39,213 school buses operated by schools and colleges across Andhra Pradesh, only 25,454 of them have a valid fitness certificate (FC). A fitness certificate is a mandatory document given by the transport department after assessing the condition of the bus, declaring it safe to transport students.According to the transport department, Guntur district has the highest number of school buses with valid fitness certificates, with 1,955 buses complying with the regulations. Other districts with a significant number of compliant buses include West Godavari (1,644), NTR district (1,641), East Godavari (1,565), and Kakinada (1,505).“While 25,454 school buses obtained the fitness certificate from the transport department, the condition pertaining to the remaining school buses is that they either exceeded their life span of 15 years, or some educational institutions may have converted them for commercial purposes,” deputy transport commissioner M Purendra informed TOI.Purendra said: “Currently, the transport department is conducting special drives against private travel buses and booking cases against those which do not have valid fitness certificates.”He said that after the schools reopen on Thursday, the transport department officials at the district level will shift their focus towards school buses. They will conduct special drives and book cases against those school buses which do not have a valid fitness certificate.During these drives, officials will book cases against non-compliant school buses, with an estimated 100-200 cases expected to be registered in each district, he said. The transport department has warned that buses found transporting students without valid fitness certificates will be seized, and cases will be registered against the school managements.Purendra has urged school managements to obtain valid fitness certificates for all their buses and ensure safe transportation of students by complying with all regulations. The transport department’s efforts aim to prioritize student safety and enforce strict adherence to safety norms.
