Sturdy buses to ensure a safer ride for passengers

Last year alone,the corporation paid Rs 33 crore as compensation to victims and their families.

“Instead of paying such huge amounts as compensation,we have decided to go for sturdy buses that would withstand the impact of an accident. The mild-steel was thought to be the best option,” MSRTC managing director Deepak Kapoor said.

Describing it as a milestone in the history of the corporation,he said the MSRTC was attaching high importance to passenger safety and after a successful run of this bus,would introduce five more buses within a month. Mild steel is said to be relatively cheaper than the other forms of steel,easily available and stronger than aluminium.

Officials said they had adopted the GTS system (galvanised tubular structure) for making the bus body. “The front and back portions,which are commonly involved in the accident,will be covered in steel while the roof will have aluminium. The side panels too will have mild steel,” they said. The “mild-steel” bus plan is said to be a brainchild of Kapoor.

MSRTC spokesperson Mukund Dhus said the MSRTC’s Volvo buses were made of galvanised steel,costing Rs 80 lakh each. “The aluminium buses are worth Rs 13.75 lakh each,” he said.

Dhus said the first bus would roll out of MSRTC’s Vallabhnagar stand at 5.50 am and would leave Swargate bus stand at 6.15 am for Ganpatipule. The MSRTC has a fleet of 16,500 buses that run across the state.