I’m sure this is not the first Indian “school bus” any of you have seen. Images like this one have been circulated around the Internet and have been featured on more than one photo Web site or another.
But have you ever taken a moment to think of the egregious safety issues on display here? Knowing the industry the way I have come to over the past three years, I know that the answer is absolutely, “YES!” It seems the government of Maharashtra, a state within India, has finally seen the light and is currently moving to phase out the use of auto-rickshaws for transporting students within the next three years.
But, this isn’t going to happen without a fight. In the city of Nagpur, more than 17 auto-rickshaw unions have decided to protest the new policy, complaining that “the government’s move will deprive auto-rickshaw-owners of their livelihood.” The plan is all part of Transport Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil’s school bus policy, which came about after a van accident last August, when three schoolchildren died and 20 others were injured when their van caught fire.
It was only within the past five years or so that non-compliant vans have been banned from transporting children to and from school in most states. But, could you ever imagine the use of a rickshaw to do the same job that our school buses do? Once again, I can already hear your answer loud and clear.
