Several private bus owners have withdrawn some of their vehicles from multiple routes because potholed roads have caused damage, and the buses now require thorough maintenance.
The bus owners said many of the city’s roads, including the arterial Belgharia Expressway, VIP Road, EM Bypass and BT Road, are in such a bad shape that the buses were either developing snags or facing breakdowns.
They also added that damaged roads are causing traffic snarls, as vehicles slow down to navigate the crater-riddled stretches, which increases travel time.
Several roads, including many in Salt Lake, the Kona Expressway and in the city’s Port area, are so severely battered that several bus owners said it was difficult to complete two trips a day.
Some of the bus owners said that the expenditure for bus maintenance left many of them wondering whether the state government should be made accountable for their rising expenses.
“Some of the BS-6 buses come fitted with sensors of different kinds, including one for the accelerator and for the engine box. If water seeps, these sensors stop working and
the buses need to be sent to workshops” said Pradip Narayan Bose, a bus owner and general secretary of West Bengal Bus and Minibus Owners Association.
“Waterlogged stretches on VIP Road and EM Bypass have left many low-engine buses fitted with sensors to come to a halt,” he added.
Repairing a sensor costs around ₹5,000, several bus owners said, and almost an equal amount collectively goes towards replacing the spring plates and brake shoes.
Several bus owners pointed out that the stretch of the Belgharia Expressway between Dunlop and Jessore Road, VIP Road near Haldiram, EM Bypass between Parama Island and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute and a large stretch of Taratala Road and Kona Expressway were dotted with so many potholes that bus drivers were struggling to navigate them.
“At least seven buses out of 24 on the Bally-Karunamoyee route did not ply on Friday because they had developed mechanical snags and had to be sent for repairs,” Bose said.
Some bus owners said the congestion because of poor road conditions meant one-way trips were taking over an hour and a half extra and the fuel expenses were rising.
“When the number of trips gets reduced, owner become unwilling to deploy their fleet of buses for daily rounds. And the overhauling charges pinch even more. It costs around ₹6,000 to replace the grease alone,” said Rahul Chatterjee, a bus owner and secretary of Bus Minibus Samannay Samity.