School Bus Tracking in Pune: What Schools and Operators Need Now
School bus rules in Pune: what is required now
The Maharashtra rules (Government Gazette, 16 July 2026)
On 16 July 2026 the Maharashtra Government published the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles (Regulations for School Buses) (First Amendment) Rules, 2026. For every school bus, education institution bus and school van, it asks for:
- a vehicle location tracking device (VLTD) with a panic button, with specifications not inferior to AIS-140 (rule 10(xxix));
- 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 for parents, the school and enforcement agencies (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). A bus that does not comply can have its permit suspended or cancelled (rule 11C).
What Pune has said
These points come from named news reports, not from an official circular we could read. Please treat them as reports and confirm with the Pune RTO.
- District School Bus Safety Committee. A meeting at the Pune Police Commissionerate, reported by The Indian Express (13 August 2026) and the Hindustan Times (14 August 2026), was attended by officials from the transport, police and school education departments. It said CCTV is mandatory in every vehicle that carries students, and must be working when the vehicle is presented for renewal of its fitness certificate. Vehicles without working CCTV will face action.
- Time to comply. The Gazette allows three months from Gazette publication (16 July 2026). We do not give a calendar date. Ask the Pune RTO about the date that applies to you.
- Inspections. The police and transport departments will run special inspection drives. The Deputy Regional Transport Officer said the focus is on real implementation, not paperwork (Hindustan Times, 14 August 2026).
- Agreement and student list. Operators were asked to sign a standard agreement with the school or parents and attach the list of students carried (The Indian Express, 13 August 2026). The Gazette also changes Form P.Co.S so that the operator encloses a copy of the common standard agreement contract with the school or parents and the list of children.
- Portals. Schools were asked to update their details, including CCTV details for each vehicle, on schoolbussafetypune.org. Police character verification of drivers and attendants is applied for online at pcs.mahaonline.gov.in. The committee said the police complete it within seven working days (The Indian Express, 13 August 2026). Please check that each site is current.
- Earlier, in June. In June 2026 the Pune RTO asked schools in Pune city and district to update bus details on its portal, including whether CCTV is fitted and working, and said inspection teams would check buses afterwards (Hindustan Times, 13 June 2026).
- School transport committees. Each school's transport committee was asked to handle parents' complaints and report to the district committee every three months (Hindustan Times, 14 August 2026).
Sources
- Maharashtra Government Gazette, Extraordinary, Part IV-A, No. 309, 16 July 2026: transport.maharashtra.gov.in (read in full, 2 Oct 2026)
- The Indian Express, "CCTV, live tracking, fire-safety systems mandatory for school transport vehicles in Pune", 13 Aug 2026: indianexpress.com
- Hindustan Times, report on Pune school bus safety norms, 14 Aug 2026: hindustantimes.com
- Hindustan Times, "Now school bus CCTV compliance under RTO scanner", 13 Jun 2026: hindustantimes.com
Pune school bus set-ups and what each one needs
Every school runs transport in its own way. Here is what the Gazette and the Pune reports ask for in four common set-ups. These are rule points, not customer stories.
The school owns its buses
The Gazette requires CCTV as part of the Digital Safety Monitoring System (rule 10A). The school should plan where the footage is stored. Pune schools were also asked to enter CCTV details for each vehicle on schoolbussafetypune.org. Ask: Where is footage stored? Who can see it? How do parents see the feed in the app?
The school uses a transport contractor
Operators were asked to sign a standard agreement with the school or parents and attach the student list. 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? Who looks after the footage? How do I get the attendance record?
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). It also asks for a record of the time each child boards and gets off. Ask: How is boarding recorded: card, QR code or the attendant's list?
The school runs vans
The Gazette covers school vans as well as buses (rule 10(xxix)). Whether a van hired by parents directly is covered is not clear from the Gazette. Please ask the Pune RTO.
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 app includes an SOS to the 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 Pune or 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 Pune
Our website lists Pune — 80+ Schools. (Source: myschoolride.com home page, "Serving Schools Across India's Major Cities".)
We visit and demo in Pune
Satcop's head office is in Pune. We visit and demo in your school. Book a demo and tell us when you are free, and we will confirm the visit.
Call +91 8600 002222 or chat with us on WhatsApp.
Questions from Pune
Who checks school buses in Pune?
According to news reports, the Pune District School Bus Safety Committee, with officials from the transport, police and school education departments, directed the new checks. The Pune RTO checks vehicles at fitness certificate renewal and in inspections, and the police and transport departments plan joint inspection drives. The education department was asked to check that each school has a transport committee.
Is CCTV compulsory in Pune 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. Pune officials said CCTV is mandatory in every school transport vehicle and must be working when the vehicle comes for fitness renewal (reports of 13 and 14 August 2026). Whether a dashcam counts as CCTV is not defined in the Gazette. Please ask the RTO.
Which websites do Pune schools use?
Reports name two. Schools were asked to update school and vehicle details, including CCTV, on schoolbussafetypune.org. Police character verification of drivers and attendants is applied for online at pcs.mahaonline.gov.in. Earlier, in June 2026, the Pune RTO asked schools to update bus details on its portal. Please check that each site is current.
How long do Pune 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 the Pune RTO about the date that applies to you. Under rule 11C, a bus that does not comply can have its permit suspended or cancelled.
Do vans that parents hire need these devices?
The Gazette applies to school buses, education institution buses and school vans (rule 10(xxix)). It does not say how a van hired directly by parents is treated. Ask the Pune RTO.
What agreement must a Pune operator have with the school?
The Pune committee asked operators to sign a standard agreement with the school or parents and attach the student list. The Gazette changes Form P.Co.S to ask for a copy of the common standard agreement contract with the school or parents, and the list of children to be carried. Ask your RTO for the exact form of the agreement.
Does My School Ride meet the Pune rules?
The rules ask for several things at once: a tracking device with a panic button, 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 Pune?
Yes. We visit and demo in Pune. Use the button to book, and we will confirm the visit.
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