Poor services mar private bus operations

The large number of private bus agencies may pose a stiff competition for State-run transport corporations, but many seem to leave out key services, courtesy and hygiene in favour of profits.

According to commuters, agencies routinely ignore regulations on cleanliness, timings and the conduct of the drivers and conductors.

Jerome David, a Bangalore native studying in Coimbatore, explained that he comes into the City often to visit his family. “I travel on private buses often, and only one out of five times has the trip been pleasant,” he said. “The buses are filthy, the drivers are rash and they are rarely on time. For someone who travels often, this mode of transport has turned into a real nuisance.”

Other passengers complained that even basic facilities, which should be up to the mark, fall short. They called attention to poorly functioning air-conditioning units installed on buses, leaky roofs, unclean sheets and mattress infested with bed bugs.

Ananth Shastry, another traveller, said that the last private bus he had travelled on had been infested with cockroaches. “This poor maintenance is unacceptable,” he said.

Agencies, however, retort that they keep the buses in an ideal condition. Several, when contacted by Deccan Herald, also refused to believe their services were being criticised by passengers. But this sort of denial is exactly the basis for many grievances, according to passengers. “Often there is no method to elicit a proper response from private owners about the condition of their vehicles,” one passenger said.

Medical emergencies

Contingencies for medical emergency also seem non-existent. One recent passenger, Pradeep Saran, recounted the trauma of being in a private bus which was involved in an accident on the Bangalore-Chennai Highway.

“All the passengers escaped unhurt,” he said, but added that the bus agency did not bother to contact passengers about their condition and did not even bother to send another bus to ensure that they reached their destination — Chennai, still 200 km away.

Eventually, two passing buses from the same company stopped to take on several of the stranded passengers. “Still, we were made to stand close to three hours before we reached Chennai,” he said.

According to Saran, the passengers were also forced to help themselves out of the wrecked vehicle without assistance from the bus crew. “We passengers went through a lot of stress as we had to break the emergency window and place sheets to ensure that no one was hurt while escaping from the emergency window,” he said. Saran now seeks compensation for the problems caused by the private bus operator.
DH News Service