A school bus met with an accident in Kangra on April 9 that claimed 28 lives. (File)
Himachal Pradesh has banned plying of school vehicles older than 15 years and fixed the age of drivers to 60 to ensure the safety of students, an official said today.
"The government has decided to cap the life of all school vehicles, including buses and cabs, to 15 years," a government spokesperson said.
The rules come in the wake of a school bus accident in Kangra district on April 9 that claimed 28 lives, including 24 students in the age group of nine to 12 years.
A notification in this regard was issued by Principal Secretary (Transport) Jagdish Sharma last week.
The rules also state that the driver must have five years of experience of driving heavy vehicles. The driver will also have to undergo eye check-up every year.
The new guidelines will be applicable to all modes of transport, including buses and small vehicles like cabs and vans.
As per the notification, each school transportation vehicle must have a vehicle tracking system, CCTV cameras and a speed limit of 40 km per hour, besides provision of grills on bus windows.
The carrying capacity of each school vehicle will be limited to one and a half times the seating capacity declared in the registration certificate.
The driver and the conductor should be neatly dressed and wear name tags, the notification said.