KOCHI: With the increasing number of bus accidents and scuffles involving bus staff, voices are growing louder for a revision of the 20-year-old schedule and timing of private buses in the city.
The exponential growth in traffic has made adhering to outdated timings nearly impossible, leading to rash driving and unpleasant incidents, say stakeholders. The current schedule’s unrealistic demand on private buses to cover 1km in just two-and-a half minutes, even in peak-hour traffic, has been seen as a major contributor to the chaos. And if a bus cancels a trip for some reason, its operator could be fined up to Rs 7,500.
“We are supposed to cover the Kakkanad-South stretch in just 35 minutes, bypassing a number of signals and narrow stretches in places like Banerji Road, metro works, etc,” say operators. “For instance, at times, there would be buses from Kakkanad, Aluva, Chitoor and every corner of the city operating at the same time to Fort Kochi. Even a half minute delay creates problems,” they say.
Speaking to TNIE, Kochi Commissioner Putta Vimaladitya said daily complaints related to private buses continue to rank among the highest. “People call them ‘devils on wheels,’” he said. “The outdated schedules and timings are a major issue. Without changes being implemented, it would be inappropriate to penalise buses. It’s high time we rationalised this.” But the process is not that simple, he added.
Experts echoed the opinion. “The reason for the high accident rate at Elamkulam is buses speeding to make up for lost time. It is also high time that bus routes are reworked. All of this should be carried out based on a proper study of current commuter demand,” said D Dhanauraj, chairman of the Centre for Public Policy Research, a city-based think tank.
K B Suneer, president of Ernakulam Bus Operators Association, said the demand for revising the schedule has been raised with the motor vehicle department several times, but to no avail. “In the current scenario of increased traffic and underdeveloped road facilities, even a time gap of five minutes per kilometre would not be enough. Another major issue we face is that there are no bus bays in the city except at Kaloor stand. All this contributes to the problem,” he said.
According to MVD officials, rescheduling is under consideration, but execution will take time. “This problem has been lingering for long, but the solution is a very tedious process to start with. Now, the issue has come to the notice of the government, and hopefully, we can initiate it soon,” Ernakulam RTO Suresh K R said.