BENGALURU: Lack of maintenance of its buses is affecting the operations of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC).
According to official data, cancellation of trips went up from 4.8 per cent in 2013-14 to 8.4 per cent in 2014-15. Till June this year, the figure was 10.6 per cent. That means at least one in 10 trips is cancelled.
A BMTC driver at the Shanthinagar bus stand told City Express that drivers lodged complaints but faulty parts were often not repaired. “Old parts are replaced with refurbished ones, not new ones,” he said.
BMTC buses often break down on busy roads, leading to traffic snarls. The breakdown rate has remained steady at 0.6 per cent for 10,000 km since 2013. In 2013-14, BMTC replaced 838 vehicles and the following year, it replaced 197.
But till June this year, not one bus has been added to the fleet. BMTC operates 6,201 schedules.
A highly placed source cited paucity of funds for poor maintenance of buses. The corporation suffered losses in both 2013-14 and 2014-15. Another source said many spare parts were not available.
Unsurprisingly, regular commuters are not a happy lot. “The non-AC buses are in a deplorable condition, with torn seats and broken hand rests. In many buses, the audio announcement system also does not work,” commuter Ratna B S said.
‘What’s the problem?’
However, the BMTC dismissed the complaints and said buses were serviced at regular intervals.
Officials said if the vehicle that met with an accident had been operating since 6.30 am, and if the driver had encountered any problems, he should have raised an alarm. All BMTC buses have an alternative braking system and the driver could have used the emergency brakes, an official said.