Pool car owners seek drop, pick-up zones: Meet with cops, transport dept sought
Telegraph | 8 June 2025
Pool car owners have requested the city police to assign specific pick-up and drop-off zones outside schools.
In a letter to Snehasis Chakraborty, the state transport minister, the Pool Car Owners’ Welfare Association has sought a meeting with officials from the department and police officers to discuss probable pick-up and drop-off points for students.
They also want the authorities to identify zones in the vicinity of the institutions where pool cars can be parked. They also want routes to be identified for pool cars.
The letter reads: Thousands of school vehicles are expected to return to the roads when schools reopen after summer break in a week or so. Pool car operators would benefit if the transport department and Kolkata Traffic Police jointly formulate some guidelines.
“We believe that such a joint consultation will help ensure safe, efficient and organised movement of school children while minimising traffic disruption in the city,” the letter states.
“We request ...to kindly consider this matter as urgent and facilitate the organisation of a joint meeting at your earliest convenience.”
There are nearly 2,500 pool cars in and around Calcutta carrying students to different schools.
The letter seeks guidelines to address some of their concerns, like:
A section of pool car owners said stretches around some of the big schools, like South Point, Don Bosco, Sri Sri Academy, Pratt Memorial and Modern High, see heavy congestion around the times the schools start and end.
“Pool cars struggle to find space around these schools to drop off students during the morning rush and, again, while picking them up. We want a dedicated stretch of the road where pool cars can stop to drop off or pick up students,” said Sudip Dutta, secretary of the Pool Car Owners’ Welfare Association.
“Let the police and the transport department come up with a policy for pool cars.”
Senior police officers said a team of officers and traffic sergeants manages traffic around the big schools.
“Several schools have ‘no parking’ zones mentioned outside so that the flow of vehicles isn’t disrupted during peak hours. The space on the carriageway outside some of the schools is so small that earmarking separate zones for pool cars will be a challenge,” a traffic police officer said.