BMTC bags Transport Minister's award

This in spite of this adverse report. Apparently, the other operators are far worse.

 

@ss87  -  Don't blame the media - they are just citing police records, and comments by police authorities. And, while you may not find BMTC drivers' accident records unsatisfactory, the police chief doesn't seem to think so.

Over last 4 years (2006 is when I really got started with BMTC and things), I have witnessed 4 accidents involving BMTC buses (2 with mobikers, 1 with auto, 1 brush with a car/cab) 'live'. And have seen 5-6 imdtly after they happened (one just last week, Vajra rammed into a Swift, near Kundalahalli).

At least going by the ones I saw 'live', (except for the brush with a car/cab, so 3 out of 4) the fault was mostly not BMTC's. You all share your numbers, based what you have seen, and they won't lie.

All of Bangalore (BMTC drivers, car drivers, auto drivers etc etc) sucks at driving. Just the way you can say auto drivers are below the average standards (stand on any major road, only for 5 minutes, and watch) one has to say BMTC drivers are above the average we have set on our roads.

Not that they are all saints. Have seen some devilish ones (with Vajra as well, bad/frustrated driver and Vajra is a very bad combination). And as far as following some other norms that apply only to them (stop near a bus stand, move only after everyone is onboard) is concerned, they have to be a lot better.

 I have daily commuting on Vajra from 1 yr daily and experienced only 1 rubbing of Vajra on which I was travelling with another BMTC 'Janti' resulting in breaking of our Vajra's mirror and it was the mistake of our Vajra driver who got frustated in BTM traffic while coming towards Silkboard on ORR. As soon as we crossed, he speeded up. 

Another time, I was in an ordinary bus on KG Road  BVK iyengar road junction. Signal turned green to our bus, but a biker with  pillion  came from Sagar theatre side despite of red signal to him. Driver suddenly applied brakes to save the biker and pillion,otherwise both would have died. As said by ss87, media wants to criticize by calling 'Killer BMTC'.

Once TV9 had reported 'killer trains' for Tumkur bound trains where slum dwellers often cross tracks and get killed by trains. This logic of TV9 I could not understand.

Rural Bikers migrated to Bangalore are the major victims of BMTC and this is mainly due to their 'arrogant'  and careless driving. Bikers do not monitor mirrors and for showing off style, they remove mirrors.

Driving to office and back to home itself is so painful and results in so many clashes with fellow drivers, chances of accidents. BMTC drivers have to drive 8+ hours a day taking a mamooth bus with huge load, stopping in bus stops, crawling in traffic. 5,000+ buses on road, it is difficult to have every driver equally efficient.

I was referring just to the Indian Express report I had provided a link to in my first post here. That report is fairly objective, and has quoted Mr Praveen Sood extensively. While expressing dis-satisfaction with the results, for the kind of efforts supposedly put in, Mr Sood has also gone to list out the externalities affecting them. So, nobody need go into a discourse on them - they are all well known.

What I am pointing out to is the stark irony of the record indicating something, and the award indicating something totally opposite.

@ ss87
the driver has responsibilty much higher than everyone - safeguard the life of the people in him, outside him, around him etc etc etc. High time we actually salute them rather than critisizing them.

Yes, that's his profession; and, when he doesn't perform responsibly enough (as indicated by the records), he is criticised, quite like every other professional who doesn't match up to the expectations.

@ SB
Why not shift the attack from Drivers to BMTC's policies and budget for Driver side training and amenities (do you know when and where they have access to toilets) ? It could be that BMTC management isn't taking the best possible care for their drivers (training/counselling/amenities).

Very true - the blame falls largely on the organisation.

Murali,

No point in re-hashing your utter contempt for BMTC. Your love for privatization of BMTC may have merits, but this is not what the discussion is about. The discussion is about award given to BMTC from the ministry of transports. The news bit is clear that BMTC is better than 'Others'. It is a relative thing and that itself speaks volumes about safety on roads from other PT systems in other parts of the country.

Your assertion seems to be on the lines of, BMTC doesn't deserve this award. OK, we can argue and counter argue on that. To puncture your balloon of privatization, one may very well ask for data on safety records of private transporters that operate in the country. Do you have any? Can we get it from some authority?

But I am sure you will agree that in all the big cities in India, the job of drivers driving the PT buses is nothing short of challenge. He needs to ensure the safety of others (private vehicle owners) and passengers in the vehicles. In doing so we do come accross fatal accidents involving different vehicles. I am sure a simple analysis of tehse fatalities would point to the systemic failures of humongous volumes. Safety on any roads is a function of many parameters and infrastructure - Road worthy vehicles, proper roads, proper signs, proper training, proper traffic enforcements and use of best safety practices by drivers, organizations, pedestrians and every body that is responsible for safety of one's life and others life. It is just not BMTC alone that is responisble for safety. We all are.

I will welcome any measure that would improve safety for myself and my family on roads, even if it is 0.1%. Don't you?

@Syed
No point in re-hashing your utter contempt for BMTC. Your love for privatization of BMTC may have merits, but this is not what the discussion is about.

I didn't bring up these matters here. If there's a comprehension challenge, I guess it has to be addressed elsewhere. And, my issue is with monopolies, and issues arising thereof. Enough people have appreciated that, and more are beginning to, even within the government. If others want to remain stuck in their old mindsets, I myself have provided a platform for them also (here), and they may add their views there.

@ Syed & ss87
In my previous post, I had stated quite clearely that "Mr Sood has also gone to list out the externalities affecting them. So, nobody need go into a discourse on them - they are all well known". And, if you insist on further discourses, well, God be with you.

@ Raja Rao
Since you are new to PRAJA, I suggest you read this blog, as well as others associated with it, to gain a better understanding of the debates going on.
 

If you see mangalore private buses u get the feeling of old DD channel or premier padmini. No glasses, pull down curtains. They leave bus just before a ksrtc bus and race to keep ahead, god save the people there. we can ask for bus fatalities in dakshin kannada by RTI.

Another example would be delhi bluelines?

@ Syed  -  The following is what I had commented on the matter in the blog to which I had given a link in my first posting here

The major complaint against Blueline services in Delhi, as also the bus services in cities like Kochi and Mangalore (operated by private sector players), has also been rash driving, largely. A comparison of the record of the lot against BMTC's record on this factor, would make an interesting study.

I don't know of any study undertaken so far. All that I can say is that it's as challenging a job for a private sector bus driver as for a BMTC driver. And, if you want to go into a discourse on the challenges before a BMTC driver, so could you on those before the private sector driver. Further, being from the unorganised sector, resulting out of dumb the government policies, they haven't even had the benefit of the training that the BMTC drivers have had.

Also, if there has to be a meaningful debate, it'll help to try and understand clearly what is being talked about.

 

@ss87
in other areas the prviate sector entering but not in the transport sector

What is so sacrosanct about public bus transport services, that it should continue as a govt monopoly (to deprive villagers of a physical connectivity to the outside world - check this)? Similar was the stance of the Indian Airlines, BSNL, insurance, banking and other sector employee unions and their sympathisers, before these sectors were opened up to competition, making for a world of difference. Nobody then could have ever fathomed the difference the opening up of particularly the telecom sector made to the country's economy. If not for it, perhaps half the people even on PRAJA would have been with the naxalites. The opening up of the public bus services sector can have a similar effect on physical mobility (and without excessive burden on the planet), particularly in rural areas.

On your ode to 'public sector'

If the services provided by the public sector organisations are still usable, it is due to the fact that they have been forced to improve their services because of competition. If they had continued as monopolies, we would have remained a 'third world country' in those areas also, like we still are in bus services, railways, power supply, water supply, which remain under government monopolies.

Mr Murli-you seem to be very keen on discussing faults with the Public sector while you dont seem to provide a direct answer to the faults of pvt sector

Please be informed that I was the one who took AIRTEL to court, and won a case against them

On your comment on BMTC's contract operations

These are again BMTC operations - you need to get your funda's right.

And, rather than continuing with your discourses, if you will just stick to your "ask me" service (in which you seem to have a mastery), you'll perhaps be doing everyone a favour.


@rackstar
Provide the Mangalore operators a level playing field, and see the difference - check this

@Ashok
Yes, quite as you have stated, there has been enough debate on public vs private on PRAJA before, for any body to want to convert this also into another of those. You'll appreciate I was only commenting on the irony of the awards, even as, on the other hand, the record on the same count has shown to be unsatisfactory. Well, quite as you have stated, the driver's job is not quite the most enviable one, and BMTC management's incapacity/ incompetence doesn't make it any easier for him.

I suppose we can close the thread here, lest we be subjected to more discourses.
 

@ ss87

But I dont think we are in ay third world country with respect to the facilty in Railway and transport sector at present. We have got the facility of the 1st world country with the volvo and the JNNURM buses running in the city-please try travelling in them to feel the difference. And the service connectivity provided by BMTC at now is far better improved over the past 5 years

Whenever I or my family members choose to take a flight, we invariably rely on the BIAL (VOLVO) service. It's a good service (But, that it's losing money is another debate). Likewise, the BIG-10 services are also good. But, here, the connectivity beyond the terminal point (Mayo Hall in the case of G-3) is the problem. And, BMTC doesn't appear to have a ready solution for that. And, the problems are many more - a few are described here.

So, it's not as if I am talking from an ivory tower or anything like that. May be, you could say that I am far more demanding than you are. And, I would like to believe that the city population is becoming increasingly so, exposed as they are to the best practices across the world. And, if the BMTC can't match upto this demand, these people will clutter up the roads with their cars, more and more. So, the objective in the demand for good services is with a view to reducing the clutter on the roads, and not vice versa. And, providing good services does not begin and end with deploying high-end vehicles. There's a lot more to it.

-here to I am doing a favour only sir-removing the bias towards BMTC from the minds of the people-

Seems almost like you are pleading! Are you by any chance, a BMTC employee? Even if that's the case, you should be supporting the opening up of the sector, because any organised private sector employer will perhaps pay you double the salary the BMTC will be paying you, going by an assessment of your capabilities based on your inputs here (And, that's a genuine compliment). But, of course, if you are part of any racketeering, and have 'other' incomes thereof (like quite many in BMTC, I am sure), then, there may be problems.

just gone haywaire as you have diverted it to such an extent

I diverted, or you and your co-apologists did it? Just go back and check.

discussion last month regarding 201 routes and suffixes

A good route numbering system should be self-evident - it shouldn't require a ss87 to unravel its mysteries. But, with BMTC's near 6,000 routes, it's sufficiently complicatted for a Doctoral study. So, is that what your study all about?  

I hereby conclude that BMTC very well deserved the award

May be they should recommend that you be awarded a PhD too for the on-going complicating and unravelling game between you and your most admired organisation.

You can take a horse to water, but, - - - -. I would be the happiest to end this meaningless discussion.
 

Points and arguments are one thing, but this surely is not the way to indulge in debates. Taking every other discussion on BMTC to that one thing, and then getting almost personal - time has come to say that such diversions are not serving much purpose. I for one stop reading a post the moment such arguments come in, because we all know what it will lead up to.

Got a call from a few folks pointing over to this discussion, so came here to leave this comment.

@ Naveen  -  How can what I have stated be taken as an insinuation that ss87 was into racketeering? I don't get you. And, there has been speculation in the past also amongst Prajagalu on weather ss87 was a BMTC employee. Ok - we now know better.  

And, my usage of the term 'co-apologists' here covered only those who unnecessarily divereted the discussion from the main subject, repeatedly. And, very much as I tried to end the meaningless debate, I couldn't but help rebutt some of the absurdities put forth. Whatever, I had myself decided that ss87's last post didn't merit any further response from me, and had quite decided to leave things be.

There's nothing more I wish to add (unless compelled to).