The Madhya Pradesh High Court has established new guidelines for school buses across the state, requiring them to be equipped with GPS systems and CCTV cameras. This will enable parents to track the buses and ensure the safety of their children via mobile phone monitoring.

The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court issued additional guidelines on Wednesday, prohibiting the use of school buses older than 12 years and mandating that drivers with a history of offenses such as overspeeding or drunken driving be excluded.

These directives were issued while disposing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) related to a tragic incident in 2018, in which four children lost their lives when a Delhi Public School (DPS) bus jumped over a road divider and crossed into oncoming traffic.

"There is no specific provision for registration, permit & special conditions for school buses," a division bench of Justices Vivek Rusia & Binod Kumar Dwivedi said.

"Therefore, till the State Government makes provisions by way of amendments in the Madhya Pradesh Motor Vehicles Rules, 1994, this Court in exercise of powers conferred under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, for the safety of children travelling in the buses belonging to the private & Government educational institutions, coaching centres, sports academy & local bodies, etc, we deem it appropriate to frame the guidelines," it said.

"No school bus shall be more than 12 years old. The school buses shall operate within the prescribed speed limit. Each bus shall be fitted with a speed governor," the court observed.

"The school buses shall be operated by drivers who have held permanent driving licenses & have a minimum of five years of experience in driving heavy vehicles," the court said.

The court's order also stipulates that drivers who have been fined more than twice in a year for offenses such as lane violations and running red lights should not be employed.

"A driver who has been fined even once for the offence of over speeding, drunken driving & dangerous driving shall not be employed. An affidavit to this effect shall be obtained by the educational institution from the driver of the vehicle," the court said.