BMTC Buses Broke Down 1,478 Times In 2023, Shows Data

The BMTC buses broke down on 1,478 occasions, The Hindu reported citing the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) data.

On a monthly basis, the Bengaluru Traffic Police stated that the count of BMTC buses experiencing breakdowns ranges between 120 and 170. Authorities further noted that a minimum of four to five buses break down daily, leading to traffic disruptions on the roads.

"As a regular commuter of BMTC buses, at least once every week I see buses breaking down. They make us board a different bus which travels in the route. Sometimes we have to wait for 5 to 10 minutes for another bus to come. This disrupts our timelines especially since I take the bus to travel to my workplace," the daily quoted Suparna Shankar, who regularly travels from Yelahanka New Town to Cauvery Bhavan, as saying.

These breakdowns frequently lead to traffic inconvenience. MN Anucheth, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Bengaluru, stated, "These figures pertain solely to major roads, without even factoring in side roads. When a bus breaks down, an entire lane becomes obstructed, resulting in a 30% increase in traffic congestion on a three-lane road and a 50% increase on a two-lane road." He further explained, "Since most of these buses are equipped with pneumatic brakes, pushing them is not feasible when the brakes are jammed. BMTC technicians must come and carry out the repairs."

The BMTC officials stated that a breakdown will be only countered if it fails to run in an hour. "Like with any other vehicles, our buses also sometimes face minor issues on the road. They are usually resolved within an hour. But when it comes to actual breakdowns, the incidents are less than 0.5%. Unlike private vehicles, we ensure that our buses are scrapped after 1 lakh kilometres and no bus leaves the depot without maintenance every night," a public relations officer stated.

The data from the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) indicates that, along with BMTC buses, a total of 4,658 vehicles have experienced breakdowns this year. This figure encompasses 395 breakdowns involving Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses, 327 breakdowns of private buses, and 713 instances involving Light Motor Vehicles (LMV) and cars.

"Every day, around 15-20 vehicles break down in the city. Especially the stretch between Hebbal and Tin Factory, is more prone to breakdowns. It is not clear if there is some gradient issue on the road or any other problem," Anucheth added.