Pune: It’s been over a month since the new academic session started, but more than 800 school transport vehicles continue to operate without valid fitness certificates that have to be renewed every year, said Pune RTO officials.At present, 812 vehicles, comprising school buses and vans, are ferrying students without the necessary document. It includes 793 buses and 19 vans. In all, 7,339 school buses are registered with the Pune RTO and 6,546 have valid fitness certificates. A total of 114 school vans are registered and 94 have the said certificate.Pune’s regional transport officer Archana Gaikwad said, “A while ago, we had notified transporters and urged them to get the certificate before the start of the academic session. In fact, we kept the RTO office open on Saturdays and Sundays too for this purpose, so that the owners could meet officials and get the work done. However, many did not renew the document and will face action now,” she told TOI.Another RTO official said notices would be sent to the erring transporters starting Wednesday. “We will act against them, if they still don’t comply. They will mainly have to pay fines, but stricter steps may also be taken. All school buses and vans must get their vehicles checked and obtain the fitness certificates without delay,” said the official.However, parents said they were worried. “Some serious incidents and accidents involving school buses have happened in Maharashtra and other parts of the country recently. Schools were closed for a long time and I fail to understand why the RTO didn’t ensure that all vehicles have valid certificates by the time the institutes reopened? This isn’t an ideal way to function for an administrative and enforcement office,” said Baner resident and parent Rahul Nilabh.Neeraj Vyas, another parent and resident of Vimannagar, said, “Each year, it is the same story. Last year, too, we had found out that many buses were operating without fitness certificates for months after the academic session began. Does the RTO want parents to check the fitness certificates and other documents of the school buses and vans? Once an incident happens, only then officials come to their senses and take knee-jerk reactions,” he said.Authorities said the idea was to give the transporters ample time to apply. “The time is up now. Transporters need to be responsible and understand they are ferrying schoolchildren,” said an RTO official.