9th January, 2015 12:26pm
Andhra Pradesh Comments
3,000 RTC Buses Crossed Lifespan but still in Use
A large number of APSRTC buses have crossed their lifespan and there is every need to replace them with new ones. The number stands at a whopping 3,000, a senior official of the department revealed.
16 people were killed when an APSRTC bus plunged into a 45-feet deep gorge near Madakasira in Anantapur district. Survivors of the tragic accident blamed driver of the bus, Gangappa, for the accident and said that he had been driving at top speed despite their repeated requests to slow down. The driver is known to have a history of rash driving.
3,000-RTC.jpgThe state government ordered an inquiry to find out the exact cause of the accident and reasons for absence of signboards or railing on the road. Condition of the bus will also be focused in the inquiry.
‘’More than 3,000 buses in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have crossed their life expectancy. They should be replaced with new ones,” said the official. He said that after a bus travels 12.5 lakh kilometers, they are considered to have reached their life expectancy.
The governments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana earlier announced that new buses would be given to the corporation. Despite this, the official said, about 1,200 buses would be waiting for replacement.
About the condition of the bus which met with the fateful accident, A Venkateswara Rao, executive director, Administration and Provisioning, APSRTC, who visited the accident site, said that it underwent maintenance work and condition of the bus was good.
‘’It underwent scheduled maintenance in November. Such maintenance is carried out every three months,” he said.
Training for Drivers: Joint managing director of the corporation, G V Ramana Rao said that they regularly conduct training programmes about safe driving for drivers who have history of rash driving. ‘’Every month, training programmes are being conducted at depot level,” he said.
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