PMPML skipped 1,71,864 runs,lost crores in over 3 years

Everyday,PMPML runs 1,250 buses and earns around Rs 1 crore from ticket sales. Each bus is supposed to make eight runs in two shifts every day. Officials said 1,250 buses make around 12,000 trips every day. In the RTI reply,PMPML refused to provide the loss in terms of revenue. “If PMPML buses could not make 1,71,864 trips in three-and-a-half year,it means PMPML has lost around Rs 15 crore. This money could have helped PMPML buy at least 40-50 buses,” says Prashant Inamdar,convenor of Pedestrians First which has been frequently interacting with PMPML officials to reduce breakdown rates.

Inamdar said the RTI figures reveal that there was no optimum utilisation of PMPML buses. “Because of shoddy service,city commuters prefer personal transport to public transport. If PMPML puts more buses on roads,fewer personal vehicles will come on roads effectively reducing traffic jams,accidents and pollution.”

Even as they blame it on manpower crunch,especially,technical personnel,PMPML depot managers sound clueless about the ways to reduce breakdown rates and loss of trips. Vijay Pardeshi,manager of Swargate depot,which registered the highest number of 1,31,796 loss of trips,says there were both avoidable and unavoidable reasons. “Unavoidable reasons include mechanical fault or flat tyres,” he said.

But,said Pardeshi,avoidable reasons like buses not being allowed to ply on jampacked roads has hit them hard. “During the 10-day Ganesh Festival,Shivaji Road remains closed for better part of the day. Due to this,our depot has to cancel a large number of trips,” he said,pointing out that the depot also runs the largest number of buses,200,daily.

Dattatrya Zende,Katraj depot manager which recorded the second highest (22,486) loss of trips,said they suffered from shortage of mechanics. “Every day,we run 194 buses,but we have only 94 mechanics. As per CIRT norm,each bus should have one mechanic. But we are short of 100 mechanics,” he said. Other than this,he said failure of gears and clutch plates had affected buses.

Satish Gavahane,Nigdi depot manager,said the figure of 7,490 loss of trips of his depot was not on the higher side. “These are basically due to mechanical failure or tyre punctures that cannot be avoided.” Depot managers also refuted allegations of civic activists that substandard parts or parts going missing suddenly are affecting buses.

While Depot managers Newsline spoke to don’t seem to have a plan to reduce breakdowns,PMPML chairman and managing director R N Joshi said he was alive to the problem and has put in place measures to make bus services effective.