Urban News

The Hindu  25.11.2010

JNNURM buses to ply to mofussil towns

S. Anil Radhakrishnan

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KSRTC awaits government approval for

project in the

city and Kochi.

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The new fleet the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation received from the Union Ministry of Urban Transport under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) is set to ply to mofussil towns.

A proposal to this effect by the KSRTC to offer hassle-free ride for those commuting from the main municipal towns to Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi is pending with the government.

“We are awaiting the nod and the plan is to commence service with the 20 semi-floor non-air conditioned buses that had joined the fleet,” a KSRTC official told The Hindu.

One of reasons to extend the services to mofussil towns is to encourage citizens to use the public transport system. As they are punctual, efficient and the staff courteous, authorities hope commuters will favour the service.

In Thiruvananthapuram, the proposal is to operate the buses to Neyattinkara, Kattakada, Nedumangad and Attingal. Muvattapuzha, Piravom and Kolenchery are the towns to which the services are to the extended in Kochi.

The 20 non-air conditioned semi-floor buses and the 10 air-conditioned low floor buses that had joined the fleet have got the mandatory permit. The JNNURM service was launched in the State in Thiruvananthapuram in November 17 last year. Initially, eight low-floor air-conditioned buses were pressed into service. Later, the fleet was augmented with eight non-air conditioned buses.

From November 18, 2009, to October 31, these buses plied seven lakh km and carried 11.08 lakh passengers fetching a collection of Rs.2.28 crore for the KSRTC.

The collection from these services just manages the operating cost taking aspects like depreciation, salary, fuel bill and maintenance into account. The minimum fare of the air-conditioned buses is Rs.10 and that of the non-air conditioned, Rs.5. The KSRTC is of the view that it can make profit if the air-conditioned bus services fetch Rs.50 a km and the non-air conditioned services, Rs.38.

The official said the KSRTC was worried over the ‘lack of response' from the commuters in the capital to the services. Though the services were extended to Technopark this did not improve the situation.

“There is no regular clientele for the JNNURM buses in the capital. What is surprising is that there is heavy demand for the services in Kochi with demands even from individuals to operate the services to mofussil towns,” he said.

With financial support from the JNNURM, 350 modern buses will be introduced in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram in stages.

Under the scheme, 30 AC low-floor and 120 semi low-floor buses will be introduced in the capital and 50 AC low-floor and 120 semi low-floor buses in Kochi.

The Deccan Herald  25.11.2010

Traffic police tips drive BMTC to safety

Chethan Kumar, Bangalore, Nov 24, DHNS:

Penalties for traffic violation have come down drastically

Tips on reponsible driving from the Bangalore Traffic Police to the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) drivers seem to be yielding fruit.

The corporation, which was known for paying penalties in lakhs for traffic violations committed by its drivers, has managed to reduce them by over 50 percent this year.
According to information available with the traffic police, BMTC has paid only Rs 16 lakh as penalty this year compared to Rs 35 lakh the previous year.

Speaking to Deccan Herald Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic & Security) Praveen Sood said: “Last year we asked the BMTC to start recovering a portion, if not all, of the fine the corporation pays as penalty from the drivers, so that there is some accountability.” It has worked wonderfully with the fine amount reducing drastically, he added.

The police have also been taking the drivers to traffic management centres (TMCs) across the City to help them understand the mistakes by showing them visuals captured in traffic cameras.

This, according to Sood, is working well as many of the drivers violate rules without realising it is a violation. “After they see it for themselves, they understand where they are going wrong and try to rectify it,” he added.

BMTC training

BMTC Managing Director Syed Zameer Pasha, while acknowledging that the new system has helped the corporation, said that credit must also go to the BMTC training. “The new drivers’ training centre has also been instrumental in reducing violations on the road and we are also training drivers on how to behave with passengers,” he said.

While expressing happiness over the reduced violations by BMTC buses on City roads, Sood cautioned that the facts are only of the recorded violations. “We must understand that only about 35-40 percent of the violations committed by BMTC are recorded.

Reduction in the fine they pay may not necessarily mean that everything is fine,” he said.
He also pointed out that one of the major problems with BMTC was over-speeding.

Drivers’ version

BMTC Bus Union president Revappa told Deccan Herald that there are so many violations because of unscientific planning, rules and their implementation in the corporation.

“If a driver is given a route and not enough time to complete it, he is obviously going to break some rules to be at the depot on time. Otherwise, he will be fined,” Revappa quipped, adding that this is just an example and there are many more problems, including inducting fresh drivers without training.