Mangaluru: The Dakshina Kannada (DK) Deputy Commissioner (DC) has set a deadline of August 31 to reduce the height of footboards in private buses plying in city limits. Buses plying in rural areas will get a month’s extension to abide by the order.
Chairing a meeting of DK district Road Transport Authority (RTA) on July 31, DC K G Jagadeesha wondered how private buses could operate without issuing tickets in a district like DK, which has a knowledgeable populace. Bus owners should compulsorily introduce handheld ticketing machines in all buses, DC Jagadeesha said. He also directed Road Transport Officer (RTO) to take stringent action against erring private buses that do not issue tickets to passengers.
In response to complaints from several organisations and general public, DC asked the operators to adhere to RTO norms as far as footboard height in buses is concerned. RTO G S Hegde present at the meeting, said the height of footboards in buses should not be above 52 cms.
People at the meeting raised their concerns on deviation of routes by private bus operators and demanded new buses on several routes. A decision will be taken on those complaints after studying the pros and cons through a committee, DC Jagadeesha assured.
He directed the RTO to solve trivial problems on its own without bringing it to the RTA meet.
It may be recalled that people using private buses in DK were facing many hardships including paying excess fare during travel, footboards being too high from the ground and bus operators deviating on travel routes to maximise profits and avoid areas with poor road infrastructure for many years.
