Pune: The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited ( PMPML ) and the state-run Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation ( MSRTC ) in Pune are struggling with old buses , some of which have literally fallen apart in some cases. The problem lies in the long wait for getting new vehicles . On one hand, the PMPML, despite having more than 300 buses that need to be scrapped, cannot do so as officials do not know when their fleet of new buses will arrive.
On the other hand, the MSRTC has had to rebuild the bodies of its old buses, totalling around 400, as their new buses are expected only by Diwali. “A total of 325 buses of the fleet of around 1,900 need to be replaced. Of the 325 buses, 150 have been plying for more than 12 years, which is the PMPML’s prescribed limit for removal.
However, we are forced to run them. For most of the new vehicles, only tenders have been floated,” a senior PMPML official told TOI, adding for this reason, they had revised the scrapping policy from 10 years to 12 years. At the Pune division of the MSRTC, the situation is more or less similar.
Pramod Nehul, the Pune divisional controller of the state transport body, said, “Of around 700 buses we have, 400 buses are above the operating age of 10 years. Of the 400, there are around 150 buses which are above 13 years of age.” The MSRTC too has revised its scrapping policy from 9 to 15 years.
“We have rebuilt the body of 200 buses and converted them from diesel-run to the ones operating on CNG. However, while the MSRTC will have around 4,500-5,000 new buses soon, the Pune division will get 250 new vehicles only by Diwali,” Nehul pointed out. “In the last six years, the MSRTC’s services have become worse with ill-maintained buses and no proper timetable.
The PMPML has never really improved. The state govt is not concentrating on them, ” Subhash Gaikwad, a regular commuter on both services, said. We also published the following articles recently KSRTCs bait-and-switch: Cancels buses by SMS, but runs them as usual The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation faced criticism due to IT glitches which led to SMS alerts wrongly informing passengers of bus cancellations.
Passengers, like Ramesh Aroli, experienced confusion and delayed refunds that exceeded the specified seven days. KSRTC's managing director acknowledged the issue, promising swift resolutions and assurance of refunds within five-six working days. No buses from Delhi side on Noida expressway in evening rush hours Buses were restricted from using the Noida expressway carriageway towards Pari Chowk for two hours in the evening.
This was due to office traffic leading to congestion. Buses were halted from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, while cars continued as usual. The decision aimed to reduce snarls caused by heavy vehicles.
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