Current schedule demands buses to cover 1km in just 2.5 min, resulting in chaos on road

The exponential growth in traffic has made adhering to outdated timings nearly impossible, leading to rash driving and unpleasant incidents.

With the increasing number of bus accidents and scuffles involving bus staff in Kochi, voices are growing louder for a revision of the 20-year-old Kochi Private Bus Schedule and the timings of private buses in the city!

The exponential traffic growth has made adhering to outdated timings nearly impossible, leading to rash driving and unpleasant incidents, say stakeholders. The current schedule’s unrealistic demand on private buses to cover 1km in just two-and-a-half minutes, even in peak-hour traffic, has been seen as a major contributor to the chaos. And if a bus cancels a trip for some reason, its operator could be fined up to Rs 7,500.

D Dhanuraj, Chairman of Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), gave his insights to Manisha V C S of The New Indian Express (TNIE) on the subject.

“The reason for the high accident rate at Elamkulam is buses speeding to make up for lost time. It is also high time that bus routes are reworked. All of this should be carried out based on a proper study of current commuter demand,”

Dhanuraj is quoted as saying.

Read the TNIE article here.

Views expressed by the author are personal and need not reflect or represent the views of the Centre for Public Policy Research.