Screws in headrests of new bucket seats in about 1,696 buses come loose, causing metal rods to jut out and jab commuters; new chairs to be replaced with old ones

Back in 2008, when the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) decided to get rid of its old seats soggy with the sweat of lakhs of people, commuters were happy. They had no way of knowing what awaited as replacements would prick them more. In most of the buses, the swish new bucket seats wore off quickly. It didn't take long for the metal rods in the seats' headrests to break lose of their screws and jab passengers.


Old is gold: After receiving complaints about bad maintenance of plastic
bucket seats, the authorities have decided to replace them with the old
metal-and-cloth seats. Pic/Nimesh Dave

"The headrest is fitted with just two screws. The overcrowded buses are under a tremendous strain, given the number of people that lean against and use them continuously in a day. Also, the seats' quality is not up to the mark. As such, they have got damaged too early," said an official on condition of anonymity.u00a0There are other problems like unsteady chairs and worn off upholstery, commuters said.

The switch back
But in a reprieve of them, the BEST has now reversed the switch. After receiving countless complaints about bad maintenance of the seats, the authorities have decided to re-replace the plastic bucket seats with the old metal-and-cloth seats. A majority of them relate to broken headrests, wear and tear of seats, wobbly chairs, improper fittings and so forth.

Out of a total of 4,700 buses, bucket seats have been fitted in 1,696 buses. The contract was given to a company called Tinta Media Creations, a sister concern of Emnet Sansara Media responsible for installing CCTVs and LCD screens in a number of buses. It was supposed to install the bucket seats in the BEST's entire fleet.

But due to maintenance issues and complaints from passengers, the transport body is thinking of revoking the contract. The same agency is now doing the re-replacement work. "The company setting up the plastic-moulded seats has been told to discontinue with the replacement in the other buses. In fact, where the substitution has already taken place, the old seats are again being put back," said a BEST committee member who didn't want to be quoted. Incidentally, this was the first time that the BEST has permitted a private company to replace its fleet's original seats.

'Bad supplier'
Shonak Gholkar, Tinta's CEO, said, "We have stopped putting up new seats in buses. The ones my company procured from the supplier are of bad quality. Also, they cater to a vast number of passengers. So they are getting damaged already. Their maintenance is so high that it's a loss for me. We had given BEST a warranty of two years, but we had to replace the new chairs in almost every bus." Said Gholkar, "At the time of replacement, BEST had tested all the seats and found them alright. The officials have told us not to install the same quality seats unless we get a better supplier," he said.

Voices
"The bucket seats are normally in a bad shape. It isn't comfortable to sit. Many seats are torn and wobbly. The older seats were dusty, but at least comfortable." -Radhika Rajput, commutes daily between Andheri and Santacruzu00a0 "I liked the old seats better, although they stank and went musty in summer. But I feel unsafe travelling in the bucket seats. I got hurt once due to a broken headrest." -Prafull Mishra, commutes daily between Kandivli and Dahisar

'In-your-face' ads
Each seat's back is used as an ad medium where vinyl can be stuck. The size of each ad is 27 cm wide at the top and 30 cm at the bottom and the height is 31 cm. The ad will cost an advertiser about Rs 4-5 lakh for all the seats in 50 buses (excluding service tax) for a month.

The Other Side
Om Prakash Gupta, general manager, BEST, said, "The agency (Tinta) accorded the contract for replacement of seats didn't deliver what was required of them. We are in the process of finding a new agency. Meanwhile, we are replacing the bucket seats with the old ones again."

Did you know?
With a speed of four minutes per km, each individual spends approximately 28 minutes on a BEST bus per day.