Tamil Nadu   

STCs to get luxury buses on hiring-contract basis

Staff Reporter

`Private-public sectors partnership, a vital part of transport corporations'

CHENNAI: State Transport Corporations will soon get luxury buses on a `hiring-contract' basis, Transport secretary for Tamil Nadu Debendranath Sarangi said on Friday.

Mr. Sarangi was responding to a question on the state of Transport Corporation buses at an open house meeting organised by the Motor Vehicles and Allied Industries Association and Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) in the city. He said the State Corporations would emulate the example set by the Transport Corporations of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, where the `hiring-contract' had worked profitably.

In his presentation on how to get the public to switch over from private mode of transport to public mode of transport, the Transport secretary explained private-public sectors partnership could form a vital part of transport corporations in the coming years. On the transport scenario in Chennai, Mr.Sarangi said there were close to 37 lakh commuters taking the buses every day in Chennai and the public transport system required at least 5,000 buses to meet the demand. "But right now, we have only 2,500 buses in our fleet. The government has recognised the need and will be acquiring 250 buses this year. It is not a lot, but it is a beginning."

Antony Jacob, managing director, Royal Sundaram Alliance Insurance Company Limited, said it would be better for insurance companies providing cover for automobiles if dealers insisted on customers to buy annual maintenance contracts. He said such an arrangement would reduce the chances of accidents.

Arvind Mathew, president and managing director, Ford India Private Limited, Sharath Vijayaraghavan, chairman, Motor Vehicles and Allied Industries Association and Binod Agarwal, president, Federation of Automobile Dealers Association spoke. The organisers also unveiled a portrait of T.S. Santhanam of TVS group.

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