More than two weeks after the roll out of Shakti – the first guarantee of providing free travel for women in State transport corporation buses, augmentation of the existing fleet in Mysuru KSRTC division has become the need of the hour with daily passenger load almost touching three lakh since the launch.
Almost all buses operated by the division were running full; some were running exceeding their carrying capacity to deal with the rush of passengers, especially women travelers.
If the services on the inter-city and inter-State routes are somehow being managed with the available fleet, though with a lot of planning, it has become challenging for the division to operate the intra-city services with passenger load crossing 100 percent and the number of commuters continuing to rise.
The situation has reached a stage where the passengers, with no space available to get inside the packed buses, are found commuting on the footboard of the bus. However, following the reports of unsafe commuting, the division has taken steps to prevent such a travel for passengers’ safety.
To handle the rush on intra-city routes, some inter-city buses, who have delayed departures in the day, are being deployed to support the load, and ferry commuters, arranging drivers and conductors.
The officials at the KSRTC division here are expecting further rise in load once the ‘Ashada’ season ends and the new season begins with festivals and weddings. This will further the rush, making the tasks even more challenging for the authorities.
The Mysuru division has alone sought 120-130 extra buses from the central office for augmenting the existing fleet and ease the pressure on the available resources. There have been demands for running additional services on most demanding and frequented routes. Such demands are coming from students and also residents.
“We have sought additional buses and drivers and conductors to handle the rush. Until we get what we have asked, we will manage and run the services by fine-tuning the fleet. More buses are essential for intra-city routes,” said B. Srinivas, Divisional Controller, Mysuru division.
No fleet expansion
Post-pandemic, the fleet has not been expanded, forcing the authorities not to increase the services. However, the number of schedules or trips went up to clear the rush.
Mr. Srinivas said, “We are still in the transition period, and the operations are being closely observed to understand the travel pattern. We need at least a month’s time to get to know what needs to be done to ease the services. Though officially, we have not received any requests for increasing the services, we are getting oral requests from the commuters and accordingly we are adding extra trips.”
He said the depots have been strictly told to ensure that all buses have to be in fit condition for operations and no buses must face breakdowns. Maintenance has to be perfect, giving no room for failures that disrupts daily operations.
Mr. Srinivas said the complaints of packed buses not halting at stops were also being addressed, with instructions for compulsory stops at designated spots to facilitate boarding of women passengers. The concerned depots have been communicated in this regard, he added.
