The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : Girl's death turns the focus on bus crews' attitude

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 08, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

Girl's death turns the focus on bus crews' attitude

By V.S. Palaniappan

COIMBATORE, APRIL 7. The death of a school student in a bus accident on Tuesday on Tiruchi Road has turned the focus on the attitude of the State Transport Corporation bus crew towards students travelling using free bus passes.

It has become a cause of concern following the death of a class VI student of a private school, Vijaya Arputhamary (daughter of Sahayamary and Veerasamy of Ammankulam near Puliakulam in the city). As the bus stopped few metres away from the stop, the students had to run to board it.

Even as they were boarding, the driver reportedly moved the bus. As a result, the victim lost her balance. She held on to the stair rails tightly. But, she fell and was dragged for some distance near the Coimbatore Medical College hospital. The rear wheel ran over her, eyewitnesses said.

Placed under suspension

The police arrested the driver. He was also placed under suspension along with conductor, STC higher officials said.

Whatever be the penal measures, nothing could compensate the irreparable loss caused to the family, say irate passengers who gathered at the CMC Hospital.

The attitude of the bus drivers towards students with free bus pass has defeated the very objective of the Government, points out K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary of the Coimbatore Consumer Cause.

Harrowing experiences at bus stops and loss of lives cannot be at the cost of a free bus pass, he added.

If a large number of students are seen waiting at bus stops, the crew who are keen on collections (fare revenue by tickets) tend to skip the stops. "This is a common sight on Avanashi Road and Tiruchi Road, which houses a large number of educational institutions", says C.M. Jeyaraaman, vice-president of the Citizens Voice Club.

Stressing the need for a change in the mindset among the bus crew, N. Logu of the Coimbatore Consumers Voice says that the TNSTC authorities, Transport Department and the traffic police should come down heavily on such errant crew.

The transport trade unions justify the speed and attribute it to the inadequate running-time given to operate the service. They say these timings are seldom revised and the allotted running time is thoroughly inadequate to cover the distance. The city has grown by leaps and bounds, the vehicular traffic density has increased manifold and the number of road-intersections and traffic signals have also increased, while the carriage way has shrunk due to parking and encroachments, say drivers.

The only solution would be to increase the running time of buses by five to 15 minutes at least during peak hours.

Besides, there should be proper orientation to ensure that drivers do not defeat the objective of giving free bus passes to school student, say traffic managers.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu

News Update

Stories in this Section

Water level in Siruvani rises

Girl's death turns the focus on bus crews' attitude

25 injured in road accident

Town bus service extended

In Coimbatore Today