DTC buses miss 4,500 trips daily
24 April 2013 3:01 AM GMT
Barely four-and-a-half years old, the low-floor DTC buses, are already missing an average of 4,500 trips per day, owing to major technical glitches and staff crunch. While the transport minister has denied technical problems and breakdowns of the buses, DTC figures show 5,450 missed trips, including those resulting from breakdowns, as reported between 12-14 April.
Delhi transport corporation has a fleet of 6,500 buses, including 1,270 low-floor AC and 2,505 low-floor non-AC buses. The rest comprise of the standard DTC buses, of which 50 per cent are in a poor condition.
DTC pays a lot of money to both manufacturers, Tata Engineering and Ashok Leyland, for the maintenance of the buses. The authorities pay Rs 4.10 per kilometer for the first 75,000 Km or one year for AC buses. Despite this, an average of 330 buses breakdown on city roads daily, a majority of which are low-floor buses.
According to DTC sources, the corporation has a schedule of out-shedding of 2,345 buses in the evening, but actual out-shedding is of 930 buses.
The report further says that shortage of staff, drivers and conductors, in the corporation is also responsible for missed trips. It may be noted that DTC buses normally miss 4,500 trips in a day due to various reasons that include technical glitches, shortage of staff, late running and late out-shedding.
Transport minister Ramakant Goswami said the corporation is using latest available technology to improve the efficiency of the buses. He said global-position system (GPS)-based automatic vehicle location system has already been installed in about 3,900 buses, including almost all the low-floor buses.
These buses are monitored by another agency, DIMTS (Delhi integrated Multi Modal Transit System). Ironically, when DTC carried out a thorough check of the low-floor buses that have been equipped with GPS, it was found that the devices in almost 1,000 buses had either been tampered with or had been stolen. Goswami said that in this regard, nine FIRs have been registered against depots managers.
Delhi transport corporation has a fleet of 6,500 buses, including 1,270 low-floor AC and 2,505 low-floor non-AC buses. The rest comprise of the standard DTC buses, of which 50 per cent are in a poor condition.
DTC pays a lot of money to both manufacturers, Tata Engineering and Ashok Leyland, for the maintenance of the buses. The authorities pay Rs 4.10 per kilometer for the first 75,000 Km or one year for AC buses. Despite this, an average of 330 buses breakdown on city roads daily, a majority of which are low-floor buses.
According to DTC sources, the corporation has a schedule of out-shedding of 2,345 buses in the evening, but actual out-shedding is of 930 buses.
The report further says that shortage of staff, drivers and conductors, in the corporation is also responsible for missed trips. It may be noted that DTC buses normally miss 4,500 trips in a day due to various reasons that include technical glitches, shortage of staff, late running and late out-shedding.
Transport minister Ramakant Goswami said the corporation is using latest available technology to improve the efficiency of the buses. He said global-position system (GPS)-based automatic vehicle location system has already been installed in about 3,900 buses, including almost all the low-floor buses.
These buses are monitored by another agency, DIMTS (Delhi integrated Multi Modal Transit System). Ironically, when DTC carried out a thorough check of the low-floor buses that have been equipped with GPS, it was found that the devices in almost 1,000 buses had either been tampered with or had been stolen. Goswami said that in this regard, nine FIRs have been registered against depots managers.
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