Coimbatore district collector inspects safety features of 1,213 school buses

COIMBATORE: Ahead of the 2026-2027 academic year, Coimbatore district collector Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar inspected private school buses at PRS Grounds here on Thursday.The fitness inspection was carried out under the Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicles (Regulation and Control of School Buses) Special Rules, 2012. Of the 1,775 permitted school vehicles operating under the Coimbatore Central, South, North, West, and Sulur regional transport offices, 1,213 were presented for inspection. The collector said the remaining 562 vehicles would undergo mandatory testing within a week.During the inspection, the collector and transport officials examined key safety features, including emergency exits, fire extinguishers, first-aid kits, seat condition, and CCTV cameras. He witnessed a live demonstration by the fire and rescue services department, which trained school vehicle drivers in emergency firefighting techniques.Speaking to media, the collector said vehicles found with deficiencies during the inspection must rectify them and undergo re-inspection at their respective RTOs before schools reopen. He added that drivers had been strictly instructed to follow safe speed limits. A joint team from the transport department, RTOs, and the police department will continue to monitor and enforce speed regulations within city limits.A health and eye check-up camp will also be conducted by the regional transport department for all participating school bus drivers.Deputy commissioner of police (traffic) S Ashok Kumar and regional transport officers Viswanathan, Pradeepa and Poongothai took part in the inspection.Meanwhile, a special inspection camp for 453 vehicles belonging to 45 private schools was conducted by motor vehicle inspectors in Dharmapuri on Thursday. The inspection camp was conducted at a private ground complex near H Thottampatty. It was conducted as per the instructions of the district collector R Sadheesh and was led by revenue divisional officer C. Semmalai. “In the first phase, 146 school vehicles were inspected and two were found to be defective,” RDO Semmalai said. He added the certificate of fitness of two buses was cancelled. Minor defects were detected in four vehicles, which were ordered to be repaired within a week and re-inspected. The officials checked emergency exits, surveillance cameras, GPS equipment, fire extinguishers, first aid kits, number of seats, floor space, hand brakes and other features. Officials warned that vehicles that did not pass inspection would be impounded and action would be taken if they were operated on public roads.