BENGALURU: The government has decided to scrap 143 Tata Marcopolo buses plying in Bengaluru and Mysuru for causing losses to transport corporations.
A Cabinet meeting on Friday also resolved to investigate the “reasons and motives” behind the purchase of these buses.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra told reporters that of the 143 buses, 98 are run by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation and the rest in Mysuru. Each bus costs Rs 30.99 lakh.
He said the buses are plagued by suspension and emission problems among others and are accident prone. Their maintenance cost too is high.
These buses were bought under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) from 2009, and have been causing a loss of Rs 1.56 crore a month. In Bengaluru, they were causing a loss of Rs 19 crore a year, the minister said, defending the government’s decision.