The Transport Department of Podar Group of Schools is established by seasoned transportation professionals to provide strategic solutions to student transportation issues.

We endeavor to provide the best possible transport service for all our students. We place the safety and responsibility of the children as our highest priority.

OUR MISSION

To provide safe and reliable transport services to the students at the highest levels of safety, quality, customer service and positive employee relations.

OUR VISION

To be the first and foremost in providing the safest and the most comfortable school transportation without compromising on safety, professionalism, training, leadership and quality.

OUR COMMITMENT

We are committed to provide the best school transport service with highest safety measures and comfort to each student. Our transport team is engaged in research, development and implementation of systems and practices to make our service the best in the industry.

We have attached great importance to enhance the Safety and Security measures for children travelling in our own School Buses. We furnish hereunder a list of such enhanced safety measures which have been implemented :-

• All buses will be run by authorised Private Contractors only who have sufficient years of experience in running of school buses and who are fully acquainted and competent to adhere to the prescribed norms of safety as laid down by the Regional Transport Commissioner.


• Parents are requested to desist from utilising the services of any unauthorised private transport.


• All our School buses are driven by experienced drivers who possess a valid heavy vehicle drivers license of minimum 5 years.


• Each bus has 2 lady attendants who are responsible for ensuring discipline in the school buses.


• All Lady Attendants will have a dedicated Mobile Number and will be designated for each route without being changed frequently. They will be monitoring discipline in the school bus, besides taking responsibility for conducting the bus and shall be reporting directly to the School Principals and the Transport Department.


• Extensive training is provided to both the drivers and lady attendants to ensure that the Transport operations are efficient.


• A number of our school buses have been fitted with CCTV cameras.


• All buses owned by Podar are installed with CCTV Cameras & GPS Navigation Systems to maintain student discipline & routes monitoring.


• All our buses are installed with Speed Regulators / Governors, so that there is no complaint regarding overspeeding.


• Each Bus owned by the School has been further protected by a padded shield near the main door of the Bus so as to prevent even a small object from falling down the stair of the Bus.


• All Podar Buses, strictly follow all norms stipulated by the Government from time to time and ensure impeccable “Safety & Security” of the children.


• Our Buses travel in extensive routes.


• There will also be a Transport Committee for each school comprising of the respective Principal, Admin Officers / Transport Officers and two designated parents from the school. Officials from the Regional Transport office, Traffic Police, Education Office and local Authority may also be invited to be a part of the Transport Committee.

In order to ensure the transport operation function smoothly, all stakeholders have to work together and follow the set policies.

Responsibilities of the Bus Driver:

• One of the first steps a school bus driver must take towards ensuring smooth operations is to set a proper example. The driver should always practice good driving habits, take personal interest in the job, keep abreast of all advancements that take place in pupil transportation and take excellent care of the equipment.

• Secondly, the attitude toward the job and toward the students is critical. The driver must realize that it is more important to be "respected" by the students than to be "liked" by them. Students can accept and will conform to rules and regulations, which are fairly, firmly and consistently enforced. Letting some students get away with breaking the rules in order to be nice so that they will like you is a sure way for the school bus driver to have trouble! This tactic will result in students losing respect for the driver.

• All Bus drivers have to possess a minimum heavy vehicle drivers license of 5 years.

• The Bus drivers should not drive aggressively and should practice defensive driving.

• The School will also conduct regular training sessions for the school drivers.

Responsibilities of the Lady Attendants:

• Each School bus will have two lady attendants in the bus.

• The Lady Attendant of a school bus is in complete charge of maintaining disciplineof students while they are on the bus. All complaints regarding discipline on the bus are noted by the lady attendant and informed to the School Principal and handled accordingly.

• The Lady Attendant has the authority to assign seats. Students shall remain properlyseated while the bus is in motion and maintain perfect discipline.

• All Lady Attendants will have a dedicated Mobile Number and will be designated for each route without being changed frequently. This number is made available to the parents and the lady attendants can be contacted in case of an emergency by the parent.

Responsibilities of Students and Guardians

• Guardians to drop their children to the school bus or pick-up point well before time. In the event of any delay from their part, they bear the responsibility of dropping their children to the school without any responsibility on the part of the School Transport Department.

• Assist in training and educating their children on the importance of safety and how to wait for the school bus and board it.

• Report to the Management of the school / transport department regarding any offence or failure on the part of the Lady Attendant/driver.

• The bus attendants have been given theinstructions to return the student to the school if there is no person to collect the student at the time of returning home and guardians are responsible for any associated outcome.

• The student must maintain cleanliness of the bus and advise the school management or his / her guardian in case the driver or any other student breaches the rules in transit.