India and other developing countries are experiencing dramatic development and population growth. This leads to substantial increase in traffic and growth in number of school going student. Most countries allow parents to choose schools for their children regardless of where they live. This expansion of school choice is likely to increase the need for school transportation and adds complexity to school transportation operations.
The Key elements to meet goals and objectives of a well organized School Transportation System are as following.

A) SAFETY is the highest priority in student transportation systems around the world.

STANDRDS: Safety standards are essential for school bus design & maintenance, signage and markings near the schools, and procedures for safe handling of students. Safety standards help establish expectations for school buses, bus drivers & other bus staff members, schools, students, and motorists, two-wheelers, pedestrians on the street.
PUBLIC AWARENESS: All stakeholders should be informed about school transportation safety to ensure that safety measures and procedures are effective. Students must understand their responsibility to follow procedures and look out for hazards. Parents must understand the importance of following proper drop-off procedures and must drive carefully when near other vehicles carrying children. And school representatives must understand how they can best contribute to a safe environment around their schools and how they can train students about safety.
SECURE ACCESS: The most hazardous portion of school transportation is where students are waiting, boarding, and de-boarding from school vehicles. Since most school transportation injuries and fatalities occur near pick-up and drop-off points, this segment of school transportation requires special attention. Physical barriers, clear school zone markings, and law enforcement can all promote safe access to school transportation.

B) EFFICIENCY is also highly valued in student transportation.

OPTIMIZE ROUTES AND BUS SIZES: routes and bus sizes are optimized and consistent with the needs of schools, families, and communities. Any optimization effort should include safety and community concerns as possible constraints.
EFFECTIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY: schools, drivers, and bus officials are updated regularly and responsive to factors affecting students. It is a good practice to use computerized route planning and the global positioning system (GPS) to monitor bus location. Information from such tracking systems could be provided to school administrators and possibly parents. By facilitating communication and tracking, school officials can know where students are and drivers can be alerted to new conditions.
MINIMIZE COMMUTE TIME: In general, school transportation systems seek to transport children quickly and helps encourage ridership on school buses. Long commute times deter students from using the school transportation system and can be stressful for students that do choose to ride the bus. Establishing and maintaining reasonable commute times can help encourage school bus ridership. Few studies suggest that in developing countries most parents would be satisfied with a commute of 45 minutes or less

C) RELIABLE

CONSISTENT AND RELIABLE: Consistent and reliable transportation service requires standards, measurement, and feedback mechanisms to be in place. The school transportation systems should have formal processes in place to monitor and promote reliability through documented maintenance schedules and daily inspections. Such processes are often documented in policy manuals that detail expectations and requirements of the transportation system. However, the general traffic congestion in a Country, which is outside the control of the school transportation system, may pose additional challenges to achieving consistency and reliability.
PROFESSIONAL STAFF: Bus drivers and conductors play a major role in providing a high-quality experience on school buses. Drivers and conductors transport students daily and are responsible for maintaining safe and secure travel. They must be properly trained and qualified to operate a school bus and to carry out appropriate procedures. They must have the self-discipline to respond calmly to challenging situations as they arise and must be physically and mentally prepared to lead the students safely out of dangerous situations.
COMFORTABLE AND PLEASANT EXPERIENCE: Buses should be of high quality and contain reasonable amenities that are appealing to children and their parents. Common comfort standards should be enforced across school buses such as air conditioning, proper child seating, ventilation, and sun protection.

D) MINIMIZE IMPACT ON TRAFFIC AND ENVIRONMENT

School Transportation System should be able to balance the needs of economic growth and social development with the conditions for environmental protection. To achieve the balance, following factors gain importance:

• Transportation operations minimize delays and traffic around schools. If school bus utilization can be increased, the number of cars commuting to schools may be reduced, thereby reducing hydrocarbon emissions and easing congestion in the school zones.
• The transportation system promotes clean energy use and sustainable transportation modes (including bus ridership). Environmental benefits can be even greater if buses transition to clean-burning fuel.
• Government, businesses, and schools work together to minimize congestion. Congestion may be minimized through collaboration between business, government, and schools. In areas that are highly congested, there may be opportunities to minimize traffic congestion by staggering start times and changing traffic patterns. By staggering start times of schools, business, or government offices within a locale, traffic conflicts may be reduced, resulting in less severe traffic congestion