top of page
Search

Dangerous Driving by School Buses in Nagpur Exposed

Traffic police inspecting school buses and vans in Nagpur during checks on dangerous driving and transport violations
School buses stopped for inspection in Nagpur as dangerous driving and safety violations come under scrutiny

Nagpur, a key city in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region, has seen multiple alarming incidents involving school buses and vans in recent months.


Parents and officials alike are on edge as crashes and traffic violations place student safety under scrutiny.


These incidents are part of a worrying pattern. Journalists examining official records and eyewitness accounts have pieced together a picture of widespread non-compliance with safety norms in Nagpur’s student transport system.

In this Article:


Mankapur flyover collision (September 2025)


In a tragedy that drew city-wide attention, a collision on Nagpur’s Mankapur flyover on September 12, 2025, killed a 14-year-old student and the driver of a school van.


According to police, the school van “entered the wrong lane” on the flyover and crashed head-on with a bus from another school.

The bus was empty at the time, but the impact severely mangled the smaller van. Both vehicles were reportedly travelling at high speed when they collided, heightening concerns about reckless driving. Nine children in the van were rushed to hospitals, and the bodies of the young girl and van driver were later identified.


Investigators quickly charged six people over the incident, underscoring that negligence was suspected on multiple levels. Along with the two drivers (the van driver and the bus driver), the school’s transport supervisor and a highway construction contractor were also named in the case.


Police filings said these officials could have failed to ensure safety measures on the road. The charges signal a recognition that such crashes are not just accidents but often involve a mix of unsafe roads, missing safety precautions, and high-speed driving.


In court papers, a legal expert noted this crash was “not merely a collision, but caused by human error and unsafe road conditions”. As this crash unfolded, it became a rallying point highlighting wider issues in school transport safety.



Nagpur school picnic accident (November 2024)


An earlier incident in November 2024 exposed hidden safety failures in school buses.


A bus from Saraswati Vidyalaya was carrying children to a picnic when it met with a serious accident. Investigators later found the vehicle had a fraudulent Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate that was dated after the crash, indicating the emissions check had been falsified.

The driver had not obtained the legally required permits beforehand. One official observed that the bus operator “applied for a permit only hours after the accident, a blatant disregard for prescribed rules”.


The bus was also badly maintained. It had travelled over 476,000 km in ten years, yet critical safety equipment was defective. For example, the rear emergency exit was found blocked by a chair, and the side exit was jammed.


Students had to escape through the front door when the vehicle crashed. The Regional Transport Office responded by suspending the bus’s fitness certification and ordering explanations.


This case revealed that bus operators were sometimes prioritising paperwork over safety, a problem not unique to this one case. It prompted officials to investigate other school transports, only to discover that many buses still carried kids without proper documents or maintenance.



Nandanvan van crash and pedestrian fatality (February 2026)


Dangerous driving by school transport affected pedestrians as well. In February 2026, a school van in Nagpur’s Nandanvan area fatally struck a 65-year-old woman on a footpath.


Police said the van was speeding towards a local college when it hit Hirabai Mokalwar at around 4:30 pm. The victim’s son said the van driver was “rash and negligent,” and he lodged a formal complaint accusing the driver of “dangerous driving”.


Nagpur’s city police promptly registered a case against the driver under relevant traffic laws. This incident underscored that school vehicle drivers who skirt rules can endanger not just passengers but the public at large.


Families in Nagpur began to question how school transport is regulated and whether drivers receive proper training and monitoring.


School transport compliance issues (2025)


Behind these incidents lie chronic compliance gaps in Nagpur’s school transport system.


Official records show that hundreds of school vehicles operate without required certifications. As of late 2025, the city’s three RTO offices reported that 364 of the 4,010 registered school buses and vans had no valid fitness certificate.

The issue cut across the region. Nagpur Rural RTO counted over a hundred uncertified buses, and even urban areas had scores of buses without clearance. In fact, before the Mankapur accident, high court documents noted “over 800 school buses and vans operate without valid fitness certificates” in the district. At one hearing, senior counsel Firdos Mirza remarked that safety committees meant to oversee school transport were largely inactive or only existed “on paper”.


Authorities have responded by issuing notices and fines, but experts say enforcement is uneven. Nagpur RTO officials reported collecting more than ₹1 crore in penalties since mid-2025. They also claimed to have suspended licences and deregistered vehicles of recalcitrant bus operators.


On the ground, officials say many buses have been detained for checks. “Notices have been issued to all vehicle owners. Many of these vehicles have been detained, and some are not even operational,” an RTO official said.


But local observers point out that detentions and fines alone may not be enough. With hundreds of uncertified vehicles still ferrying students daily, the system remains vulnerable. The RTO report noted that 121 local schools had not formed the mandated transport committee to monitor bus safety.


These lapses mean that even routine checks, like verifying driver credentials or vehicle permits, can go undone for long periods.


Traffic police safety drives (2025)


In response to public concern, Nagpur’s Traffic Police launched special inspection drives targeting school vehicles.


In June 2025, city traffic units conducted roadside checks at schools and major junctions to catch violations by buses, vans and even autos used for student transport.

They were looking for obvious offences: drivers without uniforms or seat belts, overloaded buses, non-functioning indicators and those jumping signals.


The crackdown led to 161 vehicles being penalised in one day. This included 106 school buses, 26 vans and 29 auto-rickshaws used for students. The violations were spread across the city, with some traffic divisions finding more offending vehicles than others.


Officials made it clear these checks would continue. “This campaign is not a one-day initiative,” a traffic department statement read. Authorities stressed that “the safety of children must be the top priority” and warned that repeat offenders would face stricter penalties.


In parallel, the Nagpur school transport wing cooperated with the police to update lists of registered buses and drivers. The Maharashtra state transport department also announced periodic drives across Vidarbha and beyond, to ensure buses have functional safety gear.

Nonetheless, enforcement teams acknowledge that these steps mostly catch superficial violations.


The bigger challenges are on paper. Fake documents, untrained drivers, and poorly enforced background checks. The ongoing campaigns have yielded some results. In a rural sweep, officials reported taking action against 176 vehicles and collecting ₹53.9 lakh in fines this year, but activists say vigilance must be sustained.


If not, parents fear that children’s commute will continue to depend on whether a driver wears a seat belt that day, rather than on a reliably safe bus.


Nagpur’s experience shows that student transport safety can be fragile without constant oversight.

Recent cases, from a catastrophic flyover crash to routine negligence on city roads, highlight how lax compliance and dangerous driving can lead to tragedy.


Local authorities now face the challenge of moving beyond spot checks and reactive penalties to ensure every school bus meets standards before it hits the road. As the city grapples with these issues, parents and educators alike are calling for transparent monitoring of school fleets and drivers.


The hope is that by addressing these gaps head-on, Nagpur’s children can be spared any more preventable risks on their daily rides to class.


FAQs:


Q: What incidents have raised concerns about school bus driving in Nagpur? 

A: Recent years have seen multiple severe incidents in Nagpur, including a high-speed crash on the Mankapur flyover (September 2025) that killed a student and driver, and a speeding school van incident (February 2026) that killed a pedestrian.


Q: How are school transport vehicles regulated in Nagpur?

A: School buses in Nagpur must have valid fitness certificates, pollution control checks and permits. Authorities report that hundreds of buses and vans lack these clearances. Enforcement drives by the RTO and Traffic Police (for example, checking driver uniforms and seat belts) have been conducted, but ongoing compliance issues indicate that regulation has been uneven.


Q: What actions have officials taken to improve school bus safety?

A: Following the accidents, officials launched special inspections and issued fines. Nagpur Traffic Police seized dozens of vehicles for violations like overloading or no seat belts in mid-2025. The RTO has collected large fines (over ₹1 crore) and suspended the licences of offenders. Even the courts have weighed in: after the Mankapur tragedy, the high court demanded reports on how schools verify bus fitness and driver backgrounds. These steps signal a tougher stance, though ensuring long-term safety remains a work in progress.


References




Comments

Rated 0 out of 5 stars.
No ratings yet
Add a rating

About the Author

Pranay Arya is the founder and editor of The News Dirt, an independent journalism platform focused on ground-level reporting across Vidarbha. He has authored 800+ research-based articles covering public issues, regional history, infrastructure, governance, and socio-economic developments, building one of the region’s most extensive digital knowledge archives.

bottom of page