1 day Ago By Joy Sengupta
1 2 3 Pune: The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has told Tata Motors to urgently send engineers to inspect the new CNG buses experiencing multiple breakdowns, among other technical problems. At present, PMPML has a fleet of around 1,900 buses, of which 1,450 buses operate on CNG. Kishore Chauhan, the public relations officer (PRO) with the city transport body, told TOI that a team of engineers from Tata Motors are expected on Tuesday for inspections.
"PMPML plans to induct 400 rental buses, of which around 125 have arrived and are operational. Their performance, however, has not been good. It is a big concern for us," Chauhan told TOI.
The new CNG are also overheating and have a weak acceleration. "These new buses are unable to climb ghat sections or elevated roads. There have been instances when the buses have suddenly stopped midway.
We have received several complaints about these buses from all depots. The issues are causing breakdowns, ultimately resulting in trip cancellations and commuter complaints," the official said. "A meeting was held last week on this issue.
Since the transport body will get 200 CNG buses from Tata Motors by May, the buses need to be examined thoroughly. Breakdowns have always been a cause of concern, and we are trying to prevent the same. The breakdowns are less in PMPML-owned buses, and we will work on further reducing it," another official told TOI.
Commuters said the matter needed to be addressed immediately. "Don't the PMPML officials check the buses before taking delivery? The e-buses, too, have been facing several issues for the last few months. The commuters suffer at the end," Prasad Jadhav, a frequent commuter and working professional, said.
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