Pune RTO finds lapses in 315 of 929 private buses checked, recovers Rs 25.82 lakh

The number of people travelling by private passenger buses in Pune rises sharply during the festival season. With this in mind, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) ran a special inspection drive. Its aim was to watch for violations of rules in buses, overcharging of passengers and whether vehicle documents were in order.

In September and October, a total of 929 private passenger buses were inspected. Of these, 315 were found to have violations or some deficiency. A total of Rs 25.82 lakh was recovered in tax and penalty. According to RTO figures, this comprises Rs 2.29 lakh in tax and Rs 23.53 lakh in penalty.

Month-wise, 433 private passenger buses were inspected in September and deficiencies were found in 154. In the same month, 122 cases were settled. These brought in Rs 1.37 lakh in tax and Rs 12.43 lakh in penalty, a total of Rs 13.80 lakh.

The pace of inspections was stepped up in October. That month 496 buses were inspected, and violations were found in 161 of them. In October, 63 cases were settled. These yielded Rs 92,000 in tax and Rs 11.10 lakh in penalty, a total of Rs 12.02 lakh.

Taken together, deficiencies were found in 315 buses over the two months and 185 cases have been settled. Notably, not a single bus was seized during the period, as there was no need to take any into custody.

The drive is considered important so that drivers and owners of private buses give top priority to passenger safety and follow the transport department's rules.

The figures at a glance: buses inspected 929, buses with deficiencies 315, cases settled 185, tax recovered Rs 2.29 lakh, penalty recovered Rs 23.53 lakh, total recovery Rs 25.82 lakh, and buses seized zero.