Patna, April 15: Nearly two months ago, police came out with a list of do’s and dont’s for school buses in the city. But implementing them seems to be too much for the men in uniform.

The unsavoury limelight was focused once again on the dangers faced by schoolchildren while travelling in school buses after a bus of The Earth Public School turned turtle this morning on the outskirts of the city. But senior police officers could only come up with vague answers when asked if the regulations were being enforced.

Ajit Kumar Sinha, the superintendent of police (traffic), said random confiscation of school buses violating the norms was out of the question till last month because boards and other examinations were on.

“Students should not be stopped from going to school. If buses are confiscated suddenly, the students will suffer for no fault of theirs,” said Sinha.

He also said: “We will inform the parents before confiscating any school bus so that they can make alternative arrangements. This will ensure that the students are not left in the lurch.”

The police had said they would start confiscating the school buses not following the regulations from April. However, no bus has been seized till date.

A traffic police officer told The Telegraph: “The schools have been informed about the regulations. But we have not started seizing buses yet. Discussions are on. Stricter measures will be taken later this month.”

Among the regulations, the most important concern is the speed limit of school buses. On-duty buses are forbidden from exceeding the speed of 20kmph.

The school buses have also been forbidden from overtaking. They are also required to have a first-aid kit and a fire extinguisher on board.

The headlights and the taillights of the school buses need to be in perfect condition. The name of the school should be painted on the front, sides and the rear of the bus to indicate to other commuters on the road that it is a school bus.

The telephone numbers of the school concerned and of the traffic police control room (0612-2203385, 0612-2219543) should also be painted on the bus.

According to the rules, the buses should pick students only from designated bus stands.

To prevent overcrowding, a bus should not take more students than seats available. This provision was violated in the bus that met with the mishap today. According to the students, many of them were standing on their way to school because of lack of space.

Drivers of the school buses were instructed to not to start the vehicles unless all the students are seated.

The assistants or helpers on the bus are required to ensure that the students enter and get off the vehicle properly. They should also escort younger students to their parents and ensure that they cross the roads carefully.

Also, a bus is allowed to take students of only one school.

The school authorities are required to ensure that drivers of the school buses have proper training and papers.

Sources said the regulations were good enough but there has been no eagerness to implement them.

A traffic police officer, when asked about the implementation of the rules, said: “We do check the speed limit of the school buses, especially on thoroughfares like Bailey Road. The schools should follow the regulations.”