Rash driving by private buses on Kochi roads: Bus time revamp no easy task
At present, buses are required to cover one kilometre in just three minutes — around 30-year-old rule framed when city traffic was sparse. The high court recently intervened, warning that rescheduling private bus timings is crucial to rein in speeding. So far this year, more than eight people have been mowed down by rash-driving private buses, terrorizing motorists and pedestrians alike.
A senior police officer said the request to revise timings was meant to break the culture of reckless driving.
"We've sent multiple letters to the MVD, held meetings with operators, and have introduced QR codes on buses so passengers can scan and directly file complaints," the officer said. MVD officials insist they cannot act without a government order. On Saturday, transport minister Ganesh Kumar promised to implement a new rule mandating at least a five-minute gap between two private buses operating on the same route within city limits —raising cautious hopes (See report on Page 4).
by Taboola
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Though both officials and bus operators insist the fix won't be simple, rescheduling remains the urgent need of the hour. "To reschedule running times, we must overhaul all district bus schedules, considering peak hours, passenger needs, routes, local body limits, road types, and how many buses converge at each junction," an MVD official explained. "A change for one bus affects every other bus on the same route." The Regional Transport Authority (RTA), comprising the district collector, RTO, and police chief, has the final say on timings.
The private bus operators' association calls the proposal impractical. "The State Transport Authority (STA) approved it, but we've told them the density of private buses makes it unworkable," said Suneer K B, general secretary of the Ernakulam Private Bus Operators Association. "Before blaming buses, the government must act — GPS units and speed governors are already fitted, but GPS isn't linked to MVD offices for real-time tracking.
Every bus has an alarm button passengers can press to alert the MVD, which can then take immediate action."
A senior MVD official added that the true feasibility will be known only once formal guidelines are implemented. The STA will forward them to the RTA, which will decide whether to enforce them after placing the matter on its agenda.
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