HYDERABAD: Traffic police urged parents and schools to use a carpooling app to avoid traffi c congestion near schools.Speaking at an event on road safety for schools titled ‘School management and stakeholders’ meeting on students’ safety’,organised by the Hyderabad traffi c police on Thursday, joint commissioner of police Joel Davis noted that nearly 19 lakh vehicles ply on the city roads daily. “Almost 500-1000 vehicles are used every day to transport children to schools. There is only so much that we can do to widen the roads, so reducing the number of vehicles on the road will help a great deal,” the joint commissioner said. Most carpooling apps allow customers to tailor their rides according to their criteria.Innovative solutionsThe drivers are verifi ed, and parents can choose if they want a male or female driver, and can track the status of their rides online. Rides are also usually cheaper than ride hailing apps.“It’s a useful app. If schools are willing to avail its services, the traffi c police will help the schools in setting it up,” the joint commissioner said. He also said such an initiative will help schools keep a track on the number of registered vehicles on the app. “That way, parents will be assured that their carpool driver is genuine,” the joint commissioner added.Hyderabad’s district education offi cer R Rohini said that there are 2700 private schools in Hyderabad, and she asked the school managements to have a female attender on each school bus. “There have been instances wherein children become victims of road accidents after they were hit by their school bus. This happened when the children were crossing the road after disembarking the bus. There is a need to create road awareness among school children. The safety of the children during the transport has to be the school management’s responsibility,” Rohini said.