Kochi: Now passengers travelling in KSRTC buses will no more be left in the lurch if the vehicles suffer a burst tyre, unlike what used to be in the past.
The management has asked the crew to carry out repairs in such cases from the nearest private workshops rather than wait for hours on end for the depot workshop vans to arrive.
“We’ve been receiving numerous complaints from passengers who’ve had to bear the burden of waiting for hours when a snag develops, like for example, when a tyre bursts. It takes hours for the depot van to reach the spot and fix it before the journey can be resumed. From now on, the crew can seek help from private workshops nearby if there is no depot anywhere in the vicinity,” reads the new circular (MI 3/048244/12) issued to all depot heads.
It further asks the crew to collect a ‘bill’ in such cases and deduct the amount from the ‘way bill’ amount before remitting the collection to the depot heads.
“This way we hope to lessen the inconvenience caused to passengers. Often it requires 10 to 15 minutes to replace tyres. This would mainly benefit commuters in the High Ranges where there is considerable distance between two KSRTC workshops”, an official said.
However, the circular makes it clear that the passengers should be taken into confidence and their consent sought while taking the buses to such private workshops.
