Starting trouble for Volvo bus service

Starting trouble for Volvo bus service
Deccan Herald

Call it teething problem or starting trouble. But the Volvo bus services from Kempegowda bus station to Electronics City which began on Wednesday went haywire due to what officials claimed was ‘en route problem’ disturbing the timings drawn up for the day.

Call it teething problem or starting trouble. But the Volvo bus services from Kempegowda bus station to Electronics City which began on Wednesday went haywire due to what officials claimed was ‘en route problem’ disturbing the timings drawn up for the day. As such buses which were supposed to do eight trips did only four because it was ‘the first day’.

While one official claimed that ‘some’ problem came up en route to the stop from the BMTC workshop, another claimed that the schedule was changed to fit into a good muhurtham.

The services were expected to start on Wednesday at 7 am with two services within the span of an hour followed by a two-hour break and then two services in an hour. But the first two buses were flagged off only at noon, thanks to which the entire bus timings went haywire. And the eager passenger was left waiting for long hours without much help.

With no exact details about the bus timings available at the enquiry, passengers had to make do with whatever information was given by those at the scheduled bus stop, including the one that the Volvo bus was stationed on the main road and was to leave from there.

While there were boards to show where the Volvo bus would stop (platform # 14) at all the stop points, there was no help for the passenger with regard to the timings. “We are waiting for the third bus to be introduced so that we can keep up with the schedule as was drawn up. There is some minor problem with the third bus. Once that is rectified, we will have the bus timings displayed at the first and the last destinations,” Chief Traffic Manager (Operations) Mr Dastagir Sharief told Deccan Herald.

“The timings will be followed correctly from tomorrow. This is the first time that BMTC has opted for Volvo services. And the model that we have got is unlike what the KSRTC uses. So it needs time,” Mr Shariff said, assuring that it would be a ‘happy trip’ from Thursday onwards.