JOIN USIn order to curb pollution, a private school chain has decided to ban parents from using individual private vehicles to ferry their children if there is a school bus available on that route.
At Salwan Public School, private cars will only be allowed if parents form a carpool. Carpoolers will get a rebate of five per cent on school fee.
“We will be increasing our bus fleet so that we can provide transportation facility on maximum routes. It needs a lot of administration and logistics support,” a school official said.
The decision will be implemented immediately on reopening of schools after January 15.
The Delhi government has announced that the schools will remain close in the national capital for 15 days from January 1, during the trial period of the odd-even vehicle formula.
The government would use the school buses under the Delhi Transport Corporation fleet during this period.
There are at least three branches under the Salwan chain, including in east and west Delhi, and a decision on routes on which school buses don’t ply is yet to be taken.
When asked that some parents don’t opt for school buses due to high charges, the official said that the school is mulling reducing the transport charges.
“Since more students will be taking buses, we are thinking about making it affordable for all. We have planned to share the cost proportionately amongst all,” he said.
School buses only
“Maximum numbers of our routes have school buses and most students are from the school’s vicinity only,” the official said, adding, private vehicles will only be allowed for parents who carpool and rebates will be given to them.
With air quality in Delhi dipping to hazardous levels, many schools in the national capital are taking a serious view of the situation. Last week, Shri Ram School issued a circular informing parents that “strenuous outdoor activity” will be restricted on severe or hazardous air quality days on the basis of “objective data” on air monitoring.