Bus passengers in Andhra Pradesh at risk as basic facilities elude staff

Visakhapatnam: Thousands of people from North coastal Andhra Pradesh and South Odisha have been using Odisha State Road Transport Corporation buses. The corporation, however, is least bothered about ensuring the bare minimum facilities to its drivers and other staff on Vizag-bound buses. This neglect could trigger safety concerns.

With the buses generally plying at night, drivers need to get a good sleep. But there is no rest room facility for them as well as for the other staff at Vizag. The drivers are compelled to sleep somehow in the buses.

During a reality check, this reporter visited the OSRTC bus parking area at MVP colony and realised there are not even proper toilet facilities for the staff.

“It becomes terrible in summer. I hardly get sleep. We have been asking the concerned officials for a rest room, but in vain. There is no concern from the higher ups too. We are afraid to complain because we have not been regularised so far,” a driver said, on condition of anonymity.

“After parking the bus in the morning, we have to wait for the toilets to be opened. There is no regular water supply there,” he added.

The other staff taking rest under a tree also echoed the same. Asked about the maintenance work on the buses, a driver who will be retiring next year, said, “We have a garage at Vizianagaram but there is no regular maintenance. The old buses are managed by private players who try to load luggage beyond permitted limit.”

The OSRTC assigns private players to manage the bus which is done through tendering. The private players deposit the seat fare amount in advance and run the buses with the OSRTC taking care of the maintenance job. According to sources, there is huge demand for buses bound for Vizag. Private players take buses at 108 per cent bidding. It means they have to deposit 8 per cent more than the total occupancy fare. To recover this money, the players take more people than permitted providing plastic stools for seating and overload the luggage carrier. Assistant transport manager Rabindra Kumar Behera admitted that there are no rest rooms and other basic facilities. “I have appraised the higher-ups about it. If they sanction the proposal, we can have a restroom for the drivers.”