New Delhi: Taking cues from the US, China and Singapore, India plans to develop a radio frequency identification or RFID-based tracking and monitoring system for school buses to ensure the safety of children, two people directly involved in the process said.
To help parents and school authorities track children in real time, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is developing a model to ensure safer travel for school children across the country, the first of the two people cited above told Mint.
The consumer affairs ministry plans to conduct a research project through BIS to create a standardized model of an IoT-based smart transport system to ensure safer travel for schoolchildren across the country, the second person said. Both spoke on condition of anonymity.
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The project draws on successful international examples where RFID and Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies are used to increase the safety of student transport. India has 248 million students in 1.47 million schools, according to the Economic Survey 2024–25.
Emailed queries to the Department of Consumer Affairs and the BIS remained unanswered by the time of going to press.
Under the plan, the electronic system will record and track students boarding and exiting from designated bus stops to and from schools, the second person said.
Once implemented, it will be the first time India will implement a nationally standardized school bus tracking and monitoring system to address the growing safety issues associated with school transport, particularly in metropolitan and semi-urban areas.
“The tags will be issued to students and installed in school buses along with RFID readers, GPS, GSM communication modules and IP cameras. The system will automatically record when a child enters or exits the bus and transmit real-time data to school authorities and parents through a connected platform,” the first person said.
Currently, several private and premium schools in India, especially in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, use GSM or GPS-based tracking systems integrated with school management applications that send alerts to parents when children enter or leave school premises.
Keep data safe, experts say
According to cyber security expert and Supreme Court advocate Pavan Duggal: “When we use RFID, we have to seriously consider the cyber security perspectives. This system will deal with the location data of children and school buses that could be misused for illegal purposes if they fall into the wrong hands.”
While the introduction of RFID chips for school buses is a good idea, the relevant cyber security implications need to be addressed, Duggal told Mint over the phone. “This data is directly linked to children’s personal and data privacy. Therefore, RFID service providers must ensure compliance with the Privacy Act of 2023.”
All RFID service providers would also be classified as intermediaries under the IT Act, so they are required to follow adequate security practices and procedures under the IT Rules, 2021, he said. “These elements must be carefully considered before implementing an RFID system.”
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Prabesh Choudhary, a cybersecurity expert and CEO and founder of Cryptus Cyber Security Pvt Ltd., called it a “good step for children’s safety” but also advised parents to take precautions when using the technology.
“Collected data will be stored on a central server, which must be secure. The app used by parents should ideally be accessed through a single device to maintain privacy and security, and should include two-factor authentication so that even if credentials are compromised, unauthorized access remains blocked,” Choudhary said.
“There will be no privacy concerns as the exchange of data will only be between the school and the parents. Privacy would only be compromised if a hacking attempt was attempted,” he said.
The people cited earlier said the project would address potential risks and implementation issues, including privacy, cost-effectiveness and hardware compatibility.
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