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

The Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) has found shortcomings in 315 of the 929 private passenger buses it examined in a special drive run before the Diwali travel rush. The drive recovered Rs 25.82 lakh in tax and fines.

The checks ran from September 1 to October 31 on buses operating in the city and the areas around it. Inspectors looked at whether transport rules were being followed, whether passengers were being overcharged, whether other passenger-related rules were being broken, and whether vehicle documents were valid. Demand for private buses climbs sharply at festival time, when many people head to their villages or holiday spots.

Of the Rs 25.82 lakh recovered, Rs 23.53 lakh came from fines and Rs 2.29 lakh from tax. The RTO has so far disposed of 185 of the cases it registered. Not one bus was seized, as there was no need to take any into custody. Going by the department's figures, roughly one in every three buses checked was in violation.

September saw 433 buses inspected, with irregularities found in 154. The RTO disposed of 122 cases that month and collected Rs 13.80 lakh, made up of Rs 12.43 lakh in fines and Rs 1.37 lakh in tax.

Inspections were stepped up in October, when 496 buses were checked and 161 were found in violation. The RTO disposed of 63 cases and recovered Rs 12.02 lakh, of which Rs 11.10 lakh was fines and Rs 92,000 was tax. The numbers show that more buses were checked in October than in September, but fewer cases were closed.

In short, the two months produced 929 buses inspected, 315 with deficiencies, 185 cases disposed of, zero buses seized, and a total recovery of Rs 25.82 lakh.

Deputy Regional Transport Officer Swapnil Bhosale said the aim was to make sure bus operators follow the rules during the festival season, when travel demand rises steeply. He said the action should improve passenger safety and that operators should come forward and comply with RTO norms. He added that the action would continue. Officials have said that owners and drivers of private buses must put passenger safety first, especially when crowds of travellers are at their largest.