School Bus Tracking in Mumbai: What the Gazette Says Now

Last checked: 4 October 2026. This is a plain-words guide, not legal advice. Please confirm with the Mumbai RTO before you act.

School bus rules in Mumbai: what the Gazette says now

The Maharashtra rules (Government Gazette, 16 July 2026)

The Maharashtra Motor Vehicles (Regulations for School Buses) (First Amendment) Rules, 2026 were published in the Government Gazette on 16 July 2026 (Gazette). They are a state notification. This is what the Gazette text says, not legal advice. For every school bus, education institution bus and school van they ask for:

a Digital Safety Monitoring System: the tracking device, a link to the State-level monitoring platform, CCTV or video surveillance, and a mobile or web app with live tracking, digital attendance, automated alerts and role-based access (rule 10A);
a CCTV feed to parents through the app, and to the RTO, the education department or the police when required (rule 10A);
a daily attendance record of every student, with boarding and de-boarding times, and extra supervision on every trip for students up to Standard 5 (rule 6C);
compliance within three months from Gazette publication (16 July 2026). The Gazette says a bus that does not comply can have its permit suspended or cancelled (rule 11C).

What Mumbai reports have said

These points come from named, dated news reports, not from an official circular we could read. Please treat them as reports and confirm with your Mumbai RTO.

Bus age. The Gazette amends the bus-age rule (rule 10(iii)). Limits on how old a school bus can be may differ from one area to another, so do not assume one rule fits every bus. Ask your Mumbai RTO which age limit applies to your bus.
Fares. The Regional Transport Authority fixes a base fare per kilometre per student (rule 6A). The Indian Express (Mumbai, 19 July 2026) explains this for parents.
How the rules came about. The Indian Express reports that draft rules were issued in April 2026 for feedback before the final rules were notified on 16 July 2026.
Time to comply. The Gazette allows three months from Gazette publication (16 July 2026). We do not give a calendar date. Ask your Mumbai RTO about the date that applies to you.

Sources

Maharashtra Government Gazette, Extraordinary, Part IV-A, No. 309, 16 July 2026: transport.maharashtra.gov.in (read in full, 3 Oct 2026)
The Indian Express (Mumbai), Ishika Gupta, 19 Jul 2026, "Live tracking, CCTV, capped fares: How Maharashtra's new school bus rules affect your child": indianexpress.com (read 4 Oct 2026)

Mumbai school bus set-ups and what each one needs

Every school runs transport in its own way. Here is what the Gazette and the Mumbai reports point to in four common set-ups. These are rule points, not customer stories.

Buses that run in Mumbai and in nearby districts

Bus-age limits may differ from one area to another. A school or contractor whose buses run in more than one area should not assume one rule fits all of them. Ask the RTO: Which age limit applies to each bus, and from which RTO's area? Ask any seller: Is the device on a bus of this age fitted properly, and who does the fitting?

The school owns its buses

The Gazette asks for CCTV as part of the Digital Safety Monitoring System (rule 10A), and a feed to parents through the app. The school should plan where the footage is stored and who can see it. Ask: Where is footage kept? Who is allowed to watch it? Can parents see the feed in the app?

The school uses a transport contractor or the School Bus Owners Association's members

The Gazette says every school and every bus or van operator keeps the daily attendance record (rule 6C), and that the school and operator keep staff records ready for the RTO and the police (rule 6B). Ask your contractor: Which device and app do you use? How will I get the attendance record? Who looks after the footage?

Young children are on board

For students up to Standard 5, the Gazette asks for extra supervision on every trip by a lady attendant or other designated staff (rule 6C), and a record of the time each child boards and gets off. Ask: How is boarding recorded: card, QR code or the attendant's list?

How My School Ride fits

My School Ride is a school bus tracking system from Satcop India Pvt. Ltd. As described on the Satcop India website: a 4G GPS device on the bus sends the bus location about every 5 seconds; the parent app shows a live map, pickup and drop reminders, an attendance view, and alerts about 2 km before the stop; students tap RFID cards on a reader on the bus for attendance; optional 4G cameras and dashcams are available, with a live feed where enabled; the driver and attendant app can send an SOS to the school admin; and a transport manager dashboard and an admin console are included. Some camera, live-feed and fee-payment features depend on the school package.

We do not say these features meet the Maharashtra rules by themselves. Ask us for the device model and its test details, and check each rule point above with the RTO. The Satcop India website describes its AIS-140 device as "Designed to meet AIS 140 standards as laid down by ARAI, physically tested by ICAT for 60 days"; we make no further claim about it.

My School Ride in Mumbai

My School Ride is trusted by 200+ schools. Our head office is in Pune. We visit and demo in your school or city, so book a demo and tell us when you are free.

We visit and demo in Mumbai

Satcop's head office is in Pune. We visit and demo in your school or city. Book a demo and tell us when you are free, and we will confirm the visit.

Book a demo in Mumbai

Call +91 8600 002222 or chat with us on WhatsApp.

Questions from Mumbai

Do the new Maharashtra school bus rules apply in Mumbai?

The Gazette of 16 July 2026 is a Maharashtra notification for school buses, education institution buses and school vans (rules 10(xxix) and 10A). It is a state notification, not one for a single city. One part, the bus age limit, was reported to work differently inside BMC limits. Please confirm the details with your Mumbai RTO.

Is AIS-140 GPS mandatory for school buses in Mumbai?

The Gazette of 16 July 2026 says school buses, education institution buses and school vans are to have a tracking device (VLTD) with specifications not inferior to AIS-140 (rule 10(xxix)(a)). Mumbai is in Maharashtra. Other states may have different orders. For Mumbai, ask your RTO how it applies to your vehicle.

What age limit applies to school buses in Mumbai?

The Gazette amends the bus-age rule (rule 10(iii)). Limits may differ from one area to another, so please confirm the age limit for your bus with your Mumbai RTO.

Is CCTV compulsory in Mumbai school buses?

The Gazette asks for CCTV or video surveillance as part of the Digital Safety Monitoring System (rule 10A), with a feed to parents through the app. Whether a dashcam counts as CCTV is not defined in the Gazette. Please ask the RTO.

How long do Mumbai school buses have to comply?

The Gazette gives three months from Gazette publication (16 July 2026). We do not give a calendar date. Please ask your Mumbai RTO about the date that applies to you. The Gazette says (rule 11C) that a bus that does not comply can have its permit suspended or cancelled.

Does My School Ride meet the Mumbai rules?

The rules ask for several things at once: a tracking device, CCTV, an app, and a link to the State platform. We do not claim that any one product meets all of them. Ask for the device model and its test details and match each point with the RTO.

Can you show My School Ride at my school in Mumbai?

Yes. We visit and demo in your school or city. Use the button to book, and we will confirm the visit.

Head office: Office 727, 728, 729 Nyati Enthral Business Park, Kharadi, Pune, MH, 411014