In the second part of the series on commuter woes in the city, MiD DAY brings you the troubles buffeting travellers on the decrepit fleet of MSRTC buses in and around the state
In the second part of the series on commuter woes in the city, MiD DAY brings you the troubles buffeting travellers on the decrepit fleet of MSRTC buses in and around the state
The State Transport buses are no luxury travel, and you already know that. The age-afflicted machinery takes a toll on regular commuters more than they can afford to complain.
Torn upholstery, creaking windows and unkempt interiors mark the vehicles. The outside is no better. Passengers feel that the authorities are not doing much. Sometimes, it is impossible for them to sit in the buses, some say.
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation's AC bus service that runs between Dadar to Pune is the only saving grace at the moment. The other buses in the fleet have broken seats, dirty interiors and are a nightmare for passengers
Ashok K, a passenger waiting for his bus to Bhiwandi, said, "A few problems have been solved by ST authorities but passenger still suffer from a number of them. The facilities at the depots have been upgraded but what about the damaged buses?"
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) blames it on the distances they have to cover and the ageing buses.
As the passengers keep walking to the extreme back of the bus looking for a decent seat to park in, they come up against the back wall. As some complain of body aches from long travels, others claim the authorities are not doing their bit toward ensuring passengers a comfortable ride.u00a0
"They have provided a fire extinguisher in the buses. But it just lies behind the driver's seat and most drivers have no training to use it," said 32 year Nishant More, a passenger at Mumbai Central bus depots.
In their defence, senior officials from ST department say that most buses cover remote areas and their condition deteriorates due to the wear and tear.
"We do our best but the roads in villages the buses travel to are so bad that even after proper maintenance, they get worse - caked in grime and creaking because of bad roads. Plus, they are so old. The buses never give problems while running. Engines and other technical parts function properly."
Dadar hub.. of woes
Dadar bus station, most popular for regular commuters between Mumbai and Pune, has around 60 volvo buses that start from the depot. A great aid for travellers, the depot officials need to pull their socks up if they are to ensure passengers a convenient ride, citizens say.
After it became popular, the number of buses increased from 10 to 15 in 1992, and to over 60 today, but the parking space has remained the same, contributing to cramped-up bottlenecks around the depot. The volvo buses that run throughout the day are big in size. Due to this, the traffic also gets affected.
"We have been told many times by the traffic police to remove or shift the station to another place. They have complained that the buses cause congestion.
We have been thinking since long to move the station. Actually, the bus station is on the road and doesn't have a place for passengers to stand," said the MSRTC official.
He also added that the place doesn't belong to them. It was started in 1992 and at the time there were no such issues. But the number and size of buses went increasing, creating problems for even our own buses.
Market it better
Passengers complain that even when the authority comes up with innovative add-ons in technology and facilities, it lags behind when it come to marketing them among people. As such, its initiative is lost in unawareness.
"There are lots of problems in the buses. I have been travelling by ST buses for seven years and I have noticed several problems. The authorities provided solutions to it but we need more.
New mechanisms like toll free numbers and mobile ticket booking have been introduced but these aren't popular. They need to be promoted more," said Shivani Wagh, a passenger who travels from Mumbai Central depot regularly.
The authorities introduced a toll free number, 1800221250, for passengers to make complaints and suggestions. It doesn't get many calls as not a lot of people know of it.
The Other Side
Despite several calls to the managing director of MSRTC, Deepak Kapoor, he remained unavailable for comment.
Big numbers
MSRTC buses ply on roads in Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat roads. They ferry over 65 lakh passengers, earning a revenue of Rs 9.69 crore daily. They cover 16,418 routes and 178.85 crore km annually.
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The entire fleet
MSRTC has a fleet of 17,000 buses of which around 14,230 are ordinary, and semi-luxury, city, midi, mini and air-conditioned make up the remainder. It has 247 depots, 575 bus stations, and 3,632 pick-up sheds, supervised by 1.05 lakh employees.
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