4 in 5 school buses in Delhi caught speeding, some hit 79 km/h: Study raises safety alarm

School buses in Delhi are raising serious safety concerns, with a new study finding that four out of every five buses examined in the capital recorded speeding incidents. The findings, released by mobility analytics company Intangles, come from an analysis of 598 school buses across 61 Indian cities during the first half of 2026. The study recorded more than 75,000 driving safety alerts, including speeding, sudden braking and harsh acceleration.

The findings are particularly worrying for parents who depend on school transport every morning. Across the national sample, one in five buses recorded at least one speeding incident. Researchers identified 116 buses that triggered speeding alerts every two to three days. During flagged incidents, buses travelled at an average speed of approximately 79 km/h, compared with the prescribed 40 km/h limit cited in the report.

Delhi school buses show alarming speeding pattern

Delhi recorded the highest level of concern highlighted in the study, with 80 per cent of the school buses examined reporting speeding incidents.

The report did not disclose how many Delhi buses were included in the sample, making it difficult to assess how widely the findings represent the capital’s entire school bus fleet.

Researchers identified another worrying trend involving sudden braking.

Across the national sample, hard braking accounted for 81.5 per cent of flagged safety events. Each bus recorded approximately 103 such incidents over the study period.

Why are school buses braking suddenly?

The study identified a sharp increase in hard braking incidents between 7 am and 8 am, coinciding with the morning school commute.

Researchers called this the ‘Bell Effect’, suggesting that traffic congestion and pressure to reach schools on time could influence driving behaviour.

The study did not establish these factors as direct causes.

Maharashtra records aggressive acceleration

Maharashtra recorded another concerning pattern, with harsh acceleration accounting for 30 per cent of flagged events in the regional comparison, six times the national average.

Pune recorded a 42 per cent share, compared with Mumbai’s 15 per cent.

Anup Patil, CEO of Intangles, said, “But compliance does not necessarily tell us how safely a child is being driven.”

The findings suggest that schools and transport operators need to examine everyday driving behaviour alongside existing safety measures.