The Motor Vehicles department (MVD) has intensified safety inspections of school buses and other vehicles transporting students in Ernakulam. Around 70 vehicles were booked for various violations during the first week after schools reopened on June 2.According to MVD officials, 10 vehicles operated by a school on the outskirts of Kochi were booked for operating without mandatory fitness certificates. The violation came to light during a random inspection of one of the school’s vehicles, prompting officials to inspect the entire fleet.The vehicles were immediately barred from service until valid fitness certificates were obtained. Officials said the school subsequently carried out the required modifications and secured the certificates by Friday (June 5, 2026), allowing the vehicles to resume operations.MVD sources said the school had also failed to comply with recently revised safety norms, including the installation of CCTV cameras and mandatory display requirements inside the vehicles.In addition to the major violations, around 60 other school vehicles were fined for minor offences detected during intensive inspections conducted across the district. Five special enforcement squads were deployed in different parts of Kochi city and its suburbs during the morning and evening peak hours to monitor school transport services. As many as 20 vehicles were found to have safety lapses on the first day of the inspections.“The squads detected various violations and issued e-challans to the operators. We have launched a special drive titled ‘Apakadarahitha Adhyanavarsham’ [Accident-Free Academic Year], as there can be no compromise on the safety of children,” said Ernakulam Regional Transport Officer K.R. Suresh.In recent inspections across Kerala, officials reported violations including the absence of fitness certificates, malfunctioning emergency exits, the lack of first-aid kits and fire extinguishers, overloading, and the failure to install surveillance cameras mandated under revised safety guidelines.Officials said inspections would continue in the coming weeks and warned that strict action would be taken against institutions and operators found compromising student safety. Published - June 06, 2026 09:52 pm IST