Pool cars with white number plates and in poor condition will not be allowed to ferry students in Salt Lake, New Town, Rajarhat, near the airport and in areas along VIP Road, an officer of the Bidhannagar commissionerate said.

“Such cars will be prosecuted and special checks will be conducted keeping in mind the safety of students,” the officer said.

The Salt Lake police on Wednesday issued an advisory on pool cars, a copy of which is with Metro. It reads: “Use of private cars registered as non-transport vehicle for ferrying schoolchildren on commercial purpose is illegal. Use of such vehicles are to be prohibited and stopped immediately.”

The cars that are registered as private vehicles have white number plates, while the ones that are registered as commercial vehicles have yellow number plates.

The advisory will be sent to all schools and circulated among guardians.

An officer said they conducted a survey of pool cars and found that most were not only registered as private vehicles but were badly maintained.

Most pool cars are plying without a fitness certificate issued by the transport department. A vehicle without a fitness certificate cannot ply.

“Several are more than 10 years old. Nearly all are running on retreaded tyres,” said the officer.

The advisory also states that all cars must be fitted with GPS-enabled vehicle location tracking devices as well as speed limiters.

Dhritiman Sarkar, deputy commissioner, traffic, Bidhannagar commissionerate, said they would carry out checks and fine the owners and drivers of errant vehicles.

“The safety of students is of utmost importance to us. We will enforce the directives and prosecute errant drivers and owners,” said Sarkar.