CHENNAI: Following a viral video showing school students hanging dangerously from a moving government bus, the State Transport Department has launched a drive to curb footboard travel. The department is roping in the police and school administrations to raise awareness about the hazards of the practice.
The video, recorded on August 18 at Vandavasi in Tiruvannamalai district, captured students packed onto the footboard and clinging to the window grilles of a government bus. A day later, a Class 9 boy died after falling off the footboard of another government bus near Chengalpattu.
Officials have identified the students in the video and held discussions with their parents. In addition to counselling, the department has issued a warning to bus drivers, stating they will face disciplinary action if they operate vehicles while students are hanging from footboards or windows.
Transport Secretary L Nirmal Raj told TNIE, “We have instructed officials to only deploy buses with automated doors along school routes. Drivers have been ordered to halt the bus immediately if students attempt to stand on the footboard.”
On allegations that inadequate bus services force students into dangerous commutes, he said, “In one of the recent incidents, there was ample space in the bus, yet students chose to stand on the footboard because they viewed it as an act of heroism. This is why schools must actively step in to educate them.” He acknowledged, however, that a few routes face a shortage of services. Out of the 21,100 buses operating statewide, 490 lack doors. “These buses, procured over a decade ago, are being phased out. In the next three months, every single government bus will have doors,” a senior transport official said, adding that demand surveys on high-risk routes are underway to divert buses wherever necessary.
