SHILLONG: Since the time Shillong Public Transport Service (SPTS) buses were rolled out in the city, there have been plenty of complaints about the vehicles diverting their routes arbitrarily.
Though many of the SPTS buses mention the routes on which they ply, there are others which do not indicate where they are going except for the conductor calling passengers to the route where the bus is headed for. As of now the service lacks a system that can track the movement and routes of the buses.
Speaking on the matter, Urban Affairs Minister Hamlet Dohling said the decision to ply the buses on the respective routes is taken by the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
“Before allotting the buses to the operators, we give them permission and the specific routes on which they are to ply as part of the agreement between the two parties,” Dohling said.
Dohling maintained that if the buses want to change routes due to smaller passenger uptake on a particular route, they will have to approach the MUDA for necessary permission and no bus can deviate from the allotted route on its own.
It is learnt that the SPTS buses which are running in the city have the provisions of Global Positioning System (GPS) for regulators to track the location of the buses. However, the system is not working.
“We are trying to see that the GPS works for tracking of the buses,” he said.
Dohling also said they would take stringent action against the operators and bus drivers if there are any complaints against the service with regards to diversion of routes.
Some passengers say it has been a long time since bus routes were publicised by MUDA and it is not known if the buses have changed their routes or they continue to ply on the same routes even now.
What many concerned citizens feel is that the buses which are outsourced to private transport operators should not bear government registration of ML01.
This has turned bus drivers of the SPTS buses and maxi taxis a law unto themselves.
“These large buses are now driving even through the narrow lanes of Nongrim Hills and other such localities when they should be operating on thoroughfares. Hence they create unnecessary traffic snarls,” observed a resident of Nongrim Hills.
It’s time MUDA pulls up its socks and regulates the public transport system. As of now there is no regulatory authority, hence they park the whole night wherever they choose to. Maintenance of these buses is non-existent and many of them are no longer serviceable. “It will be only a matter of time before these buses go off the road,” said a regular passenger of the SPTS.
