July 28, 2018
Safe Drive Save Life: Now for comprehensive fitness checking of public transport vehicles
Expanding the scope of Safe Drive Save Life, one of the most successful programmes of the State Government, the Transport Department is going to start a State-wide drive to check the fitness of public transport vehicles.
It would be comprehensive check-up, covering every aspect of the condition of a vehicle to determine its suitability for usage on roads. The checking would be done throughout the year, periodically.
According to an official of the Transport Department, initially, emphasis will be given on checking the fitness of buses and mini-buses.
There are two primary reasons behind starting this programme of checking the fitness of public transport vehicles: to help in reducing the number of accidents and to ensure that commuters get better service, particularly as the bus fares have recently gone up.
As an example, the official said that the department will be checking the conditions of tyres being used in the public transport vehicles. The use of good quality tyres is crucial to check accidents as the chances of skidding go up when sudden brake is applied, if the conditions of tyres are poor. This is more so during the monsoon. Then, they will check whether water drips from the roof of a bus and inconveniences passengers, the condition of seats, etc.
The checking will be carried out at different points across the State. Necessary steps will be taken if they find that the vehicles are not maintained properly. The bus owners at fault will be directed to repair their vehicles before plying them again.
Source: Millennium Post
