Private bus operators appeal for safe driving during monsoon

Mangaluru: With the monsoon setting in and heavy rainfall expected, the Dakshina Kannada Bus Operators Association (DKBOA) has urged motorists to drive cautiously and adhere to speed limits, warning that oil and diesel particles on the roads could increase the risk of accidents and property damage.

Addressing the media in the city on Saturday, DKBOA president Azeez Parthipady asked bus drivers and conductors to exercise extra caution while transporting school and college students, as educational institutions have reopened.

He said students must be allowed to board and alight safely, and staff should treat them respectfully to avoid complaints. He also appealed to students to cooperate respectfully with drivers and conductors.

Parthipady said the association would hold a meeting with bus operators and staff to direct them to follow rules and drive safely. Responding to questions on reckless bus driving, he said the association would take the issue seriously and instruct all operators accordingly.

According to a DKBOA release, conductors have been asked to issue tickets using ticketing machines. The association also directed that neither staff nor passengers should stand on bus footboards. Drivers were advised not to use shrill horns, while loudspeakers, stereos and tape recorders inside buses were banned. The release said passengers should be picked up and dropped only at designated stops.

Drivers and conductors have also been instructed to wear uniforms, avoid using mobile phones, provide reserved seating for senior citizens and persons with disabilities, and carry attested vehicle and licence documents.

The association also stated that it had warned staff against harassing students or Chalo card users and told them not to race, overtake competitively or quarrel with other bus staff.

The association said all permit-holding buses must operate scheduled trips, and should not cancel services on holidays or Sundays. Bus owners were urged to complete repairs quickly to avoid disruptions.

It warned that the transport and police departments would initiate legal action against negligent staff. On fares, DKBOA said operators must strictly follow ticket fares fixed by the RTO, and should not overcharge passengers.

Urging immediate attention of authorities, the association also highlighted concerns related to the absence of bus bays and growing traffic congestion in the city. It pointed to the lack of a proper bus stand near the KSRTC bus stand towards Bejai, and said continuous KSRTC bus movement near Bharat Mall was adding to congestion.

It said removal of the free left turn at KPT Circle from Nanthoor towards Circuit House Road has worsened traffic, and also highlighted the lack of free-lefts at Nanthoor Junction towards KPT. DKBOA highlighted severe disruption near Padua school during peak hours due to vehicles taking U-turns from Nanthoor and Kadri, and stressed the need for police presence.

Citing heavy vehicle movement through Bejai, KPT, Padua and Nanthoor, the association said that this was affecting bus timing schedules between Surathkal and Mangaladevi. Congestion at Kuntikana, Lalbagh, PVS and Bunts Hostel junctions, along with roadside parking from Karavali Circle to Hampankatta, and along Kankanady and Falnir roads, was also hampering smooth bus movement, it added.