Most times a medical emergency arises, the first call is made to summon an ambulance because it is thought to be the quickest and safest way to reach medical care. However, it could get harder to keep faith in private ambulances with the Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) revealing that almost 42 per cent of them may not even be fit to carry patients.

The ambulance fitness check involves testing the vehicles’ roadworthiness, as well as other aspects such as whether its siren and beacon are working. File pic

According to RTO records, out of the 1,351 private ambulances in Pune and the PCMC area, only 790 have the required fitness certificate. The fitness certificate for ambulances needs to be renewed each year, after a thorough test. However, 561 ambulances in the city have not had their certificates renewed since 2012.