The 'Bus Day,' earlier scheduled to be held in city on Apr. 8 by the KSRTC Mysore Urban Division, will now be held on Apr. 9, according to M.N. Srinivas, KSRTC Divisional Controller.
As the Bus Day is being celebrated for the first time in city after the success of the Bus Day concept in Bangalore, KSRTC Managing Director Gaurav Gupta had convened a meeting of officials, NGOs and concerned citizens at the Deputy Commissioner's Office in Mysore on Mar. 22.
Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) member Vasanthkumar Mysoremath, who also took part in the deliberations, has given the following suggestions to make the Bus Day a success:
1. Condition of roads in Mysore City: Good roads help in a safe commuting experience. Bad roads lead to stress for drivers and tragic accidents have taken place in Mysore city due to roads being riddled with deep potholes. Vehicles will have to be slowed down and frequent shifting of gears results in consumption of extra fuel, carbon emission, climate change, environmental pollution, thus resulting in avoidable misuse of highly subsidised fuel supply.
There is an urgent need for asphalting the roads by authori-ties concerned so that public transport can be speeded up and become attractive for people to shift from other modes of private transport to public transport.
2. Volvo buses are uneconomical: It is reported that KS-RTC has incurred a cumulative loss of more than Rs. 27 crore in running Volvos and other hi-end air-conditioned buses. Volvo buses need smooth and velvety roads in order to get the best from their class of vehicles. Mysore's potholed roads are weakening the very structure/body of such hi-tech buses and their mileage/cost of running per km (2-3 kms per litre of fuel) is dismal.
Frequent substituion of dama-ged parts by Volvo are costing a fortune for KSRTC and it is bound by Annual Maintenance Contract agreement from the Volvo technicians and KSRTC mechanics are forbidden from touching these vehicles. Most of all, even with highly reduced fares (subsi-dised?), Volvos are not running to their full capacity.
3. Need for more decent ordinary buses: The need of the hour is clean, decent and fast moving ordinary buses for catering to the majority of commuters to help them reach their destinations. Time for introspection for KSRTC; Preference must be given to procure more number of ordinary buses and purchase of exorbitantly costly Volvos, Marcopolos and Mercedes Benz buses may be reconsidered and either deferred or cancelled until a congenial commuting environment is created.
At present, there is a highly stratified system of making avail-able proper transport system between urban and mofussil commuters. City Bus Stand has been remodelled at considerable cost whereas the neighboring mofussil bus stand is in shambles and buses running to such destinations are invariably worn out ones that are not properly maintained with hygiene. This needs to be corrected immediately and a sense that all commuters are equal must be imbibed.
4. JnNURM Funds and Mega Structures: In the name of creating infrastructure and for utilising sizeable JNNURM funds, mega concrete structures are being constructed in the form of TTMCs in different corners of Mysore City; their grotesque designs not keeping with the architectural and heritage values of Mysore. Buses do not run on storeyed buildings, they have to run on well-laid roads catering to the basic need of commuting.
Moreover, people use bus stations as transit points and they have no time for shopping or for hanging out. They need frequent fast moving transport system.
Therefore, it is necessary to give importance for creating good sheltered, clean and neat bus stations with minimum needs of decent seating arrangement, clean toilets and drinking water facility. This should be the priority of city service since it is wedded to the cause of social responsibility of providing decent commu-ting experience to the masses. This will infuse confidence in the minds of people and they will get attracted towards public transport.
5. Facilities in buses: Disabled-friendly infrastructure at bus stations, first-aid kits in buses (at present majority of the buses do not have first-aid kits even though rules prescribe providing the same in all buses), fire fighting facility, drinking water facility in buses are some of the needs of the commuters.
6. KSRTC has to develop long term perspective plans: It is reliably predicted that with business as usual, fossil fuel crude oil will be in short supply in about 20 years. This is bound to create a huge gap between demand and supply for petroleum products like diesel, petrol and kerosene. Fuel in future will cost a fortune and not all people will be able to afford the exorbitant cost for running their private vehicles. Thus they will be looking up to public transport system for their commuting needs.
There is bound to be a slump in two-wheel / four-wheel industry due to less demand. This is where KSRTC has to step in and cater to the huge demand. For this, it will be necessary to create a congenial environment for public transport from now itself.
7. Behaviour of crew: Even though KSRTC is organising periodical trainings in different aspects of behavioural science, many of them behave in a rough and tough manner with commuters. Many drivers, particularly in mofussil buses, smoke or keep chewing ghutka or paan, spitting and / or talking on mobile phones while driving with one hand. This is unbecoming of public servants. Periodical checking and taking corrective measures will instill confidence in minds of public.
Many conductors do not carry enough coins of different deno-minations. They cleverly do not hand over the change while issuing tickets, stay inside the bus and signal to driver to move, even while commuters would have alighted and waiting for the change; in some cases, he adds up a few of commuters' change, hands over a currency note to distribute among themselves.
Some conductors shout at the commuters when a hapless commuter hands out a higher deno-mination currency note. These things have to be set right so that people will be happy to see a crew who are courteous.
Another rude behaviour is when ladies or senior citizens complain about able-bodied people occupying seats reserved for them, the conductor never responds and shouts back at them to keep quiet since he cannot make those unauthorised occupants vacate the seats. When he is an official, he has every right to uphold the law and it is his business to come to the rescue of those helpless souls.
In some neighboring States, even though ladies seats are vacant, men do not occupy them. This problem needs rectification through proper checks.
8. Non-stoppage of buses at Bus Stops/Shelters: Buses are not keeping their schedules either for want of crew or good buses. Cluttering of a number of buses on the same route are noticed; TCs may be phasing out the trips but drivers either drive speedily and overtake other buses without stopping their buses at the bus stops or by stopping them far away. Some buses skip the bus stops.
For example, Andolana newspaper has constructed a bus stop on Ramanuja Road and except for a few city buses, other mofussil buses do not stop even though many villagers wait after taking treatment etc. from JSS Hospital. Drivers do not pick up commuters even though they hold up their hand as a request. Such behaviours need correction.
If the above suggestions are considered and adopted, people will be happy to find their public transport attractive and may make every day a Bus Day.
Courtesy: voiceofmysore.com
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