Parents to shell out Rs 200 extra for CCTV, GPS installation in school bus

The School Bus Owners’ Welfare Association has decided to hike the bus fee claiming that they will have to pay extra cost for maintenance to private companies that have installed the cameras and GPS system. President of the SBOA, Manjit Singh Saini, said, “The hike is reasonable, it should not bother the parents since we have spent over Rs 10,000 on each of the buses to install the cameras and GPS. Parents should know that this system has been implemented for the safety of their children. So, paying Rs 200 extra for their children’s safety is not a big deal.”

Since most of the schools buses operate on contract, it was the responsibility of the private contractor to hire lady attendants for the buses. The contractor, therefore, will only pay the salary of the lady attendants.

Manjit said, CCTV cameras and GPS system have been installed in most of the schools and the lady attendants have also been hired. He said there are very few schools that are yet to hire lady attendants in the school buses. However, all the buses will have the facilities according to the administration’s guidelines by August 1.

Carmel Convent School, Sector 9, Vivek High School, Sector 38, Sacred heart School, Sector 26, DAV School, Sector 15, Aurobindo School, Sector 27, Sri Guru Harkrishan School, Sector 40 , St John’s School, Sector 26, Ashiana Public School, Sector 46, Shishu Niketan School, Sector 22 are among the private schools to have installed the cameras and GPS system and have also hired the lady attendants for the buses.

The school heads believe that the UT Administration should get the CCTV cameras and GPS system installed in local buses too. They said the autorickshaws and the Tata Magic mini-vans that carry more than 10-15 children should also be banned because they are not safer for children. Highlighting the safety issue, HS Mamik, chairperson of Vivek High School, Sector 38, said, “It is the responsibility of the administration to safeguard the local buses also by installing the CCTV cameras and the GPS system.”

The director public instructions (Schools), Kamlesh Kumar, said women safety can only be ensured by installing CCTV cameras and GPS system in local buses.