Tourist bus operators protest over abysmal quality of new Ashok Leyland buses

Mumbai: Tourist bus operators protest over substandard new Ashok Leyland buses with defects causing breakdowns, safety concerns for passengers.

Mumbai: Tourist bus operators are protesting over the substandard quality of new Ashok Leyland buses after they found the upgraded models with various defects resulting in frequent breakdowns on the road.

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Bus operators, who are part of the Mumbai Bus Malak Sanghatana (MBMS), who purchased 68 new 13.5mt long Euro 6 sleeper buses have now handed over the chassis number and parked the fleet of 68 buses at Ashok Leyland’s Naigaon workshop. Some members said it is possible that the bus manufacturer is delaying any move, waiting for the warranty period to get over and then shirking their responsibility.

Stating that the poor quality of the buses is leading to safety issues while carrying passengers, the bus operators have sent letters to Ashok Leyland and the Regional Transport Office (RTO).

“We went to the offices and workshops of Ashok Leyland to complain about the various defects in these buses. However, they are not meeting us at all and are ignoring our complaints. The defects in buses are serious in nature and they need to take back their buses,” said KV Shetty, a member of the Bus and Car Operators Confederation of India (BOCI) and a private bus operator.

Bus operators said that recently on the Mumbai-Goa highway, one of these new buses stopped abruptly while in motion which led to an accident. They fear that such defective buses could put passengers’ lives at stake. MBMS has also taken up the issue as bus operators across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) are raising the issue of multiple problems in these new Ashok Leyland buses.

Another private bus owner and operator said while the company sold the longer buses as new, there haven’t been technological improvements in the 13.5-meter-long buses from the existing 12-metre ones. “We paid around ₹72 lakh per bus while the old ones cost ₹50 lakh each. Yet the manufacturer is not paying heed to our complaints over the last six months but simply giving assurances,” he added.

The letter sent to the company by bus operators states, “The new buses breaking down is a very serious matter. Several defects have come to the fore such as braking issues. It seems that your company has not taken this matter seriously, even though we have taken up this issue frequently, speaking orally, in person, over the phone, and in writing from time to time. The above model manufactured by your company has been proved completely defective and not road worthy.”

The letter added that as per provisions of Section 110 of the Motor Vehicles Act read with Rule 127 (a to d) of Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989, there is a provision to recall the motor vehicles manufactured by the company found to be defective and it has been reported to your company.

Sources said that it is surprising that the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and other authorities did not inspect the basic items while giving approval for this model.

RTO officials said they will have to investigate the issue, whether buses are defective and if all relevant manufacturing norms have been followed. Meanwhile, a detailed email questionnaire to Ashok Leyland did not yield any response.