Pune, 19 May 2026: ARAI has introduced several initiatives to facilitate the smooth onboarding of bus body builders for certification of their bus bodies. These services are aimed at improving ease of compliance and paperwork in getting a timely and cost-effective certification. The team will support the bus body builders in meeting the 3-level compliance framework for buses, including mandatory video inspections and physical safety checklists.
ARAI, with its new Support Cell will assist the bus body builders in document preparation and handhold them through the entire certification process. A dedicated webpage has been created outlining all the necessary information related to bus body certification in an accessible format. In the pre-application stage, the team will provide technical and design support for development of the bus body. To expedite the process further, document formats like variant lists, checklists have been simplified to resolve Worst-Case Selection Criteria.
The implementation of Bus Body Code is a foundational milestone in India’s efforts to enhance passenger safety and standardize vehicle construction practices in the bus manufacturing industry, ensuring uniform quality control. The code, issued under the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and formalized through amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR), is a structured framework governing the design, construction, and approval of bus bodies.
The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has progressively aligned national regulatory requirements with global best practices by mandating compliance with specific Automotive Industry Standards (AIS). Among these, AIS 052 articulates comprehensive requirements for bus body design that serve as the primary standard for all buses falling under its scope.
Certification in accordance with the Bus Body Code is mandatory for all buses having a seating capacity of 13 passengers plus driver (13+D) and above, as per GSR 159 (E) dated 6th March, 2024. The Ministry has also mandated compliance with AIS 153 for buses with a seating capacity exceeding 22 passengers excluding the driver (i.e., 22+D). AIS-153 covers additional safety requirements, including fire safety and emergency exits, structural safety and passenger comfort. The regulatory framework, comprising AIS‑052 (Rev.1), AIS‑153 and associated standards such as AIS-119 (Rev.1) (sleeper buses) & AIS-063 (school buses), aims to streamline bus construction practices for special types of buses.
Hon’ble Minister of MoRTH, Shri. Nitin Gadkari, had announced in April 2026 that new buses, including inter-city and sleeper coaches, won’t be registered by RTOs without inspection of all mandatory safety features. He further stated that under this regime, vehicle manufacturers, bus body builders and the respective RTO will have to upload the filled checklist on Govt’s VAHAN portal, ensuring stakeholders are taking necessary steps to comply with safety features.
Reflecting on the regulatory initiatives, Dr. Reji Mathai, Director, ARAI, said, “ARAI has always been committed to empowering ecosystem stakeholders be it legacy corporations, start-ups or MSMEs. We want to assist the bus body builders in their certification process at all stages including development and testing before they apply for certification. This will ensure that safety remains our utmost priority and consequently a reliable transport system for the public is built in our country. To encourage widespread adoption of these services, we have also introduced substantially optimised pricing structures. We aim to make it easier, faster and cost-effective for all stakeholders to uphold the best standards of passenger safety.” He further added that the type approval cost had been drastically reduced to Rs. 14 lakh + GST, which is about 50% reduction from a normal case. Additionally, time for type approval process can be fast forwarded to anywhere between 60 days – 90 days, depending upon the readiness of the applicant.