In 15 months, Mangaluru traffic cops booked 386 overloaded school vehicles

Mangaluru: In 2025 and in the first quarter of 2026, Mangaluru traffic police has booked 386 cases against vehicles cramming schoolchildren beyond capacity. However, not a single challan has been issued for white-boards vehicles running without permits, official data reveals. With schools reopening soon, authorities have promised a crackdown, but stakeholders warn that the issue still persists a decade after the deadly Trasi tragedy.In 2025, police nailed 223 school buses and vans for overloading, slapping fines totalling Rs 44,600; another 107 autorickshaws faced Rs 21,700 in penalties. Up to March 31, 2026, 42 bus/van cases paid Rs 8,400 in fines, 14 autorickshaw paid Rs 2,800 for violations.DCP (traffic) K Ravi Shankar clarified, "We have not booked any one without permit or white-board vehicles. Post-reopening, special drives will target all violations rigorously." The Dakshina Kannada School Vehicle Drivers' Association has long flagged this gap, saying white-board vehicles—uninsured private shuttles — continue to run unchecked in the city despite mandates for yellow-board compliance.Ten years after the 2016 Trasi horror in Udupi, where a white-board vehicle crash killed eight schoolchildren, little has changed. Association honorary president Sunil Kumar Bajal said: "The tragedy sparked nationwide outrage and mandate rules for yellow-board vehicles. To ensure safety we spend Rs 40,000 annually, including Rs 14,000 for panic buttons and Rs 4,000 for renewals of yellow-board vehicles."Secretary Lokesh Surathkal added: "We follow Supreme Court guidelines — 1.5 times capacity of a vehicle for kids under 12, and one per seat for children above 12 years — but get fined, while part-timers (white-board vehicles) evade action. We've petitioned for years, however violators just pay token fines."The district education department also echoed its concerns in a March 23 letter written by deputy director GS Shashidhar, directing officials to crack down on illegal transport and report action taken.