Pune: PMPML CMD Mahesh Awhad on Monday warned private contractors of heavy penalties and even termination of contracts if incidents like Saturday's bus theft recur due to negligence by their drivers or conductors.
Strict Action Against Negligence
"In future, any such incidents will be the sole responsibility of private contractors. Heavy fines and even suspension or cancellation of contracts are possible," the CMD said while addressing private contractors in the wake of the shocking "bus theft" from Dengle Bridge on Saturday.
A visibly disturbed youth from Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand slipped into a spare PMPML bus operated by a private contractor on Saturday evening and started the vehicle with the ignition key left inside by the driver. He drove through crowded streets for about 1.5 km from Dengle Bridge to Good Luck Chowk. Fortunately, no one was injured.
PMPML operates a fleet of 2,000 buses, of which 700 are owned by the transport utility. Nine private contractors operate the remaining buses. "For the public, all buses are PMPML buses," said Awhad.
Training and Standard Operating Procedures
The PMPML CMD announced that a training session for drivers of private contractors' buses would be conducted soon at the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. He emphasized that basic standard operating procedures (SOPs) must be followed seriously to keep buses safe.
"Basics like parking buses only in PMPML-designated places and never leaving them unattended while on duty must be followed. All doors, windows, and steering should be locked, and keys must be taken away while parking a vehicle," he said.
"If an untoward incident happens, a preliminary report should reach us within an hour and a written report within 24 hours. I had no information about Saturday's incident until I got calls from reporters. Such a thing shouldn't happen. Having a GPS tracker in these buses is very important. PMPML officers will conduct random checks of buses, and any norm violations will be dealt with very strictly," he added.
Safety Measures and Accountability
"Regular instructions like driving safely, not indulging in drunk driving, and proper maintenance of buses have been given. Each private contractor should appoint a nodal officer responsible for looking into all safety aspects without any delay," the CMD said.
Either the driver or the conductor should be present in a bus on duty at any given point. "The same has to be applied during duty or shift change. Private contractors should only hire drivers serious about the job. Any driver suspended earlier by the PMPML should not be hired again under any circumstances," the CMD concluded.
