‘This could be a first for school buses’: To beat traffic discomfort, Bengaluru school installs biotoilets on long routes

BENGALURU: The tech capital’s infamous traffic pushed a city school to think beyond the usual solutions to keep its students comfortable: Introduce toilets on its buses. Indus International School, Sarjapur road, has redesigned two of its school buses running on longest routes to include biotoilets. These buses go to Rajajinagar and Yeshwantpur in journeys that take at least two hours. “Many students stay on the bus for extended periods, and absence of toilet facilities can cause discomfort, anxiety, and health issues, particularly for younger children. By installing biotoilets, we aim to provide a safe, hygienic, and dignified solution that allows students to meet their basic needs without stress,” said Vinoth Kumar, director (administration), Indus International.The school spent around Rs 5 lakh per bus for the new facility. It said it received a positive response from parents and hoped to extend it to other long routes if this worked well. The school has 37 buses.“This could be a first for a school bus. When the school asked us to find a solution to the problem of children suffering on the roads for a long time, we contacted an agency in Chennai, which helped us install it. It uses a decomposition mechanism using high-grade bacteria,” said Manoj Padikkal, CEO, Padikkal Travels.