Your space: Public transport in Pune is inefficient and unsafe

400 buses are more than 12-years-old and have logged over 8.5 lakh kilometres which makes them vulnerable to operational problems

The fact that 400 buses of the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) fleet are not road worthy and still continue to ply on roads, exposes the blatant neglect of the public transport administration regarding the safety of the residents. These buses are more than 12-years-old and have logged over 8.5 lakh kilometres which makes them vulnerable to operational problems. However, the PMPML continues to ply these buses on the city roads which eventually leads to frequent breakdowns, fire incidents and risks the lives of the bus passengers and others. This clearly highlights the fact that what should have been the priority of the authorities, which is the safety of the passengers, has become the most neglected issue.

Passengers push a PMPMLbus that broke down at Alka talkies chowk. as per PMPML norms, buses that have run more than 8.4 lakh km and have completed 12 years of operation have to be scrapped as they are not road worthy. In spite of these norms, the PMPML has been operating 400 buses in its fleet of 1,400 buses which violate its own safety norms. (HT PHOTO)

Ajinkya Belsare

PMPML SHOULD NOT PLAY WITH THE LIFE OF CITIZENS

Four hundred buses running on city roads in such poor conditions are putting the lives of the residents, who use these services, at risk. Such buses are involved in fatal accidents and breakdowns. Besides, it also increases the wear and tear of the buses along with increasing the maintenance cost which the PMPML now is struggling to keep up with. PMPML buses are not in a condition to operate and hence, catch fire. These buses were purchased 12 years ago, but the average life of these buses is nine years. PMPML should not play with the life of the residents.

Sharang Mane

TRANSPORT UTILITY NEEDS TO REVAMP

PMPML is inept in handling transportation issues and fleet management as over the years the culture of corruption has seeped deep into the psyche and bloodstream of the authorities. These 400 buses must be immediately taken off the road as they are a serious health and safety hazard to the population at large. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and PMPML authorities take advantage of civic illiteracy of Puneites and take decision of buying low quality buses which benefits the middlemen and businessmen at large. PMC and PMPML are largely regarded as the most untrustworthy civic brands which the residents despise every day. The thick skinned and corrupt administration of PMPML needs to undergo change, only then good buses can ply on the city roads.

Saleem Mulla

PUBLIC TRANSPORT HAS BECOME LIFE THREATING

To ply 400 old buses on the road is not only unsafe, but life threatening. It is not only a risk to the commuters life, but other commuters as well. It is putting everyone’s life at risk. Also, it is not just one or two buses, but around 400 which can create a havoc. The PMPML needs to put an end to this and no such bus should be allowed on the road.

Ajinkya Deshpande

OLD BUSES SHOULD BE DISCARDED IN PHASES

PMPML is a vital public transportation system and despite having large number of commuters, the buses need regular maintenance and PMPML has failed in this regard. I am monthly transport pass holder of PMPML. However, the services have deteriorated in the recent years as a result of negligence of the staff. The complaints of the commuters are mainly with regard to bad condition of the seats, rude behaviour of the staff, frequent accidents, rash driving and high emission of black obnoxious gases.The buses that have already run for 10 years can be discarded in phases. The rest can be refurbished to get more comfortable seats and better interiors.We have written several complaint letters to officers,but have not seen any improvement.Civic body should help PMPML to procure some more new high-tech buses.

Ramesh Jadhav

BUS BREAKDOWNS ARE A COMMON SITE

PMPML bus breakdowns have become a common site on the city roads. Not just the old buses, even the new PMPML buses have breakdowns that cause traffic chaos. Due to the ongoing metro works, there is traffic jam and these bus breakdowns just add more trouble for the residents. The PMPML must ensure that old buses do not ply on busy city roads.

Sameer Wagale

MAINTENANCE OF BUSES DIFFICULT FOR PMPML

The PMPML buses plying in the city tell a sad tale. Most of the buses owned by the PMPML are found in an ill-managed state. New buses put into service are good. But once a bus becomes a year or so old, its maintenance becomes a problem. The windowpanes are found missing and in many cases these are found jammed. During winter or in rainy season, it becomes difficult to travel in such buses. Seats in some of the buses are in a bad shape. Engines of many buses plying on the city roads go out of order and sometimes the tyre bursts.Thus, passengers are stranded. The condition of passengers travelling by such buses becomes pitiable. This is the reason why people prefer to travel by private vehicles instead of PMPML buses. Plying 400 unsafe buses is dangerous and a threat to a commuters life.

Mahesh Patil

SHABBY BUSES BRING DOWN THE GLORY OF THE CITY

Tourists who visit Pune view it as a Smart City or an Information Technology (IT) city. The shabby old PMPML buses that are plying on the city roads bring down the glory of the city. These old buses do not have glass on the windows and often have a break down. Not just that, condition of a few buses are such that it is dangerous for commuters to travel in them. It is wrong to ply such buses on city roads.

Smita Nair

PMC SHOULD SUPPORT PMPML TO GET NEW BUSES

Like every government transport, PMPML is reeling under losses and they are unable to look after the needs of the paraphernalia. As per the rule, buses older than 12 years are not supposed to ply on the roads, but exchanging 400 old buses with new ones is beyond the capacity of PMPML. PMC needs to give support to it. If PMPML transport is good, then people will not opt for their own vehicles and this will also ease the traffic jams. By using these unsafe buses PMPML is risking the lives of various residents. The bus breakdowns also cause a lot of inconvenience to commuters. PMPML should stop using these unsafe buses at once.

Maya Hemant Bhatkar

WHY IS PMPML NOT TAKING ANY ACTION?

PMPML running 400 unsafe buses on city roads is clearly a risk to a citizen’s life. However, if the PMPML spokesperson has acknowledged this, then, why is PMPML not taking any action, are they waiting for unfortunate incidents to happen? Safety of passengers is completely neglected. I suggest that the higher authorities of PMPML should travel in the buses for a few days and experience the problems faced by the passengers. PMPML makes several commitments, but does not fulfil any of them.

Anoop Panjwani