BENGALURU: Adding to the Monday blues of Bengalureans and the already existing chaotic traffic conditions in the city, six BMTC buses broke down in a single day in different locations.
Alerting people about the slow moving traffic, the City Traffic Police on their social media handle posted: “Slow moving traffic due to BMTC bus break down at Town Hall junction towards NR Square Junction.”
A BMTC bus broke down near Bashyam Circle towards ESI Hospital, another one broke down near Police Corner towards Mysore Bank Circle, one bus broke down at Siddapura Junction towards NIMHANS. Even an electric bus also broke down near Kudlu Gate towards the city on Monday. Another bus broke down on the Nagavara flyover towards Veerannapalya Junction in the evening.
A traffic police said that BMTC buses break down regularly, and the numbers have only gone up recently. He said that the public bus breakdowns have made their already tough job even more difficult as they have to rush to the spot and clear the traffic. Chief Traffic Manager GT Prabhakara Reddy was not available for comments.
When TNIE raised concern over the increase in the BMTC buses breaking down, a senior BMTC official said that the exact reason for the breakdown should be explored. The official also assured to look into the issue, and address it as soon as possible.
“Buses breaking down right in the middle of the road reflects on the quality of service provided by BMTC. This shows that the buses are not given the necessary regular maintenance,” said Prashanth, an auto driver. He also added that many of these BMTC buses emit excess amount of smoke, raising suspicion about the vehicle’s fitness.
Other than the buses that broke down, a bus is also said to have caught fire in the middle of the day.