Packed with kids, autos raise concerns

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Kottesaara Rao, a mental health professional, does not like to send his children who are in Class III and Class I in an overloaded autorickshaw to a nearby school, but he has no choice as it is hard to find a private auto that carries only his children to school.

“I have asked autorickshaw drivers and they charge an exorbitant amount. Moreover, I drop them to school and the auto only picks them up from school. We pay Rs 1,000 a month.

There is a school bus but they charge Rs 20,000 a year and about 50 children sit in the 12-seater mini bus,” pointed out Rao.

“I know it is not safe to send my children in the auto that carries 10 other children. But even if I send my children in a separate auto, there is no guarantee that he would carry only my children. Once I saw my children in the jam-packed auto, I was speechless,” he said.

Schools have reopened and it has become a common sight to see children jostling for space carrying their school and lunch bags in autos. Auto drivers even make additional temporary seats and carry as many children as possible.

“Private vans charge around Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500 depending on the distance between the school and home,” said another parent Gayathri.

Antony, an auto driver said, “I carry only five children and we know it is unsafe to carry more children. We charge only Rs 1,000 per child for a month and we hardly get any profit and to earn more money auto drivers overload the vehicles with children.”