Noida: A UKG student of Amity International School was allegedly left locked inside a school bus for nearly seven hours on Thursday after falling asleep during his morning commute. The boy was located inside the bus after an extensive search by his parents at a yard nearly 25km from the school’s Sector 44 campus. Parents said the child was found crying inside the bus, frightened and drenched in sweat, when they finally reached him.According to the child’s parents, the boy boarded the school bus from his housing society in the morning as usual. They believe he dozed off en route and remained unnoticed inside the vehicle even after it reached the school campus in Sector 44. Neither the driver nor the bus attendant reportedly checked the bus before it left the premises and proceeded to a parking yard around 25km away, where it remained stationed for several hours with the child still inside.Parents approached the school administration in the afternoon when the child did not return home at the scheduled time. His parent said they were alarmed when the bus arrived, but the boy did not get off. “This morning, I personally put my son on the school bus. I saw him board and waved to him before returning home, like any normal school day,” the parent said. “But when the bus came back in the afternoon, and we went to receive him, he was not there.“When the family contacted the school, they were told that the child had not reached class and was marked absent in the classroom register. However, transport records allegedly showed that he was marked present in the bus attendance register.The parents said they began tracing the bus route and visiting possible parking locations as there was no clear information on the child’s whereabouts. When they eventually went to the bus parking yard in the afternoon, they found the child locked inside the vehicle. “He was drenched in sweat and was crying. I cannot explain the fear and helplessness of those hours, not knowing where your child is, whether he is safe, whether something unimaginable has happened,” his parent said.Police said they were informed of the incident in the afternoon, but the family did not file a written complaint. It was not immediately clear if there were lapses in the school’s transport safety protocols.In a statement, the school principal, Renu Singh, said, “The school administration was informed of an incident today involving a student who remained on a school bus following a vehicle change necessitated by an unforeseen mechanical issue. Upon the matter being brought to our attention, immediate action was taken. The child, who fell asleep during transit, was located and safely reunited with the parents. “Singh said the management had taken “serious cognisance” of the incident and initiated a comprehensive review of transport protocols. “Appropriate and strict action is being undertaken to ensure accountability, and additional safeguards are being reinforced to prevent any recurrence. We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards of student care and safety at all times,” Singh said.
