A six-year-old UKG student of Amity International School, Noida, was found inside a parked school bus on Thursday, hours after he failed to reach the school, triggering concern among parents and raising questions over transport safety protocols.
Details of the incident came to light after a message circulated in parents’ WhatsApp groups, describing how the child had boarded the school bus in the morning but did not reach the campus and was later found in a bus parking yard in a remote part of Noida, around 25 km from the school.
According to the message, when the bus returned in the afternoon and the child did not disembark at his residential society, the family contacted the school and was informed that he had been marked absent in the class attendance register, while being marked present in the bus attendance record. The message further claimed that no alert or communication was sent to the parents regarding the child’s absence from school.
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The child was later located in a bus parking yard and reunited with his parents. The message alleged that he had remained inside the vehicle for several hours in heat conditions. HT could not independently verify the exact duration for which the child remained in the bus.
Responding to the incident, Amity International School, Noida, in a statement issued by principal Renu Singh, said the school administration was informed of an incident involving a student who remained on a school bus following a vehicle change necessitated by an unforeseen mechanical issue.
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“Upon the matter being brought to our attention, immediate action was taken. The child, who had fallen asleep during transit, was located without delay and safely reunited with the parents. We are relieved to confirm that the student was unharmed,” the statement said.
It added that the safety, security and well-being of students remained the school’s highest priority, and that the management had taken serious cognisance of the incident. “A comprehensive review of transport protocols has been initiated, strict action is being undertaken to ensure accountability, and additional safeguards are being reinforced to prevent any recurrence,” it said.