Surge in drunk driving cases against school vehicle drivers in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: In a worrying trend, drunk driving (DD) cases against school vehicle drivers in Bengaluru have registered a surge in recent years.

Data from the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) accessed by DH shows that DD cases against school transport vehicles skyrocketed from a mere 12 in 2023 to 124 in 2024. While the figure slightly fell to 111 in 2025, as many as 83 cases have already been recorded in 2026.

Speaking to DH, Karthik Reddy, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), said the figures are primarily from early-morning checks by the BTP.

“During surprise checks around 7 am, the police inspect 3,500-4,000 school vehicles on an average, and over 30 people are caught. This means nearly 1% of school drivers checked are drunk, a figure which I emphasise should be zero,” he said.

Background checks crucial

The BTP emphasised that school managements must verify that their drivers possess a heavy vehicle licence and a driving experience of minimum five years.

Also, schools must conduct mandatory police verification to ensure drivers have no past criminal cases or recorded history of road accidents.

Shashikumar D, General Secretary of the Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, alleged that many school bus drivers are habitual drinkers, and sought strict enforcement of rules by both school authorities and police.

“While any argument that they are drinking in the morning right before work is highly disputable, the traces found during morning checks might actually be from the previous night’s drinking, as the body takes up to 72 hours to fully eliminate alcohol.

School authorities and the police must strictly enforce rules by cancelling the licences of any drivers found with traces of alcohol in the morning.”

Following strict directions and guidelines from the Supreme Court and the Karnataka High Court, Reddy issued a comprehensive set of directives for school managements, transport operators and parents.

Schools have been mandated to ensure that all transport vehicles are equipped with essential safety features, including: Safety grills and functional emergency exits, first-aid boxes and operational fire extinguishers, speed governors, GPS tracking systems and CCTV cameras, proper door-locking systems and seating arrangements.

Parents demand ‘name and shame’ policy

“It is terrifying to think we entrust these drivers with our children’s lives every morning,” said Sunitha R, a resident of Indiranagar and mother of a class 4 student.

“If the police don’t name and shame these schools, the management will keep sweeping it under the carpet. Parents have a right to know if their school is compromising on safety.”

Fahad Ahmed, whose two daughters take the school bus in Rajajinagar, said, “We pay high transport fees every year under the assumption of safety. If a driver is caught drunk at 7 am, it is a criminal failure on the school’s part to audit them before they leave the depot. The BTP must put these school names in the public domain.”

Acknowledging this demand from parents, Reddy noted that when a driver is caught in a drunk state, the police ensure the children’s safety by putting a second driver on the vehicle.

They also immediately notify the school by writing an official letter to the
institution because the school management might not be aware of this or simply ignore it. 

The BTP has urged parents to remain vigilant and look out for whether drivers are operating vehicles under the influence of alcohol when sending their children to school.

Parents have been advised to immediately report any such suspicions to the school management or the traffic police.

Quote:

"During surprise checks around 7 am the police inspect 3500-4000 school vehicles on an average and over 30 people are caught. This means nearly 1% of school drivers checked are drunk a figure which I emphasise should be zero."

- Karthik Reddy JCP (Traffic)