A third of bus fleet grounded

ERRATIC SERVICE As many as 5,472 trips by NMMT buses were cancelled last year because they were being repaired

Commuters who depend on the Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) bus system for their daily commute are irked with the unannounced cancellation of trips. “Sometimes, I wait for a bus for more than 50 minutes while the stated frequency interval is 20 minutes. In some cases, buses are even cancelled,” said Shreya Chandra, Seawoods resident.

Last year, a total of 5,472 trips were cancelled due to non-availability of buses. On an average, out of a total fleet of 336 buses, 274 are operating; the rest of the buses are stationed due to technical snags.

“The problem with the buses can be seen in all the nodes. Certain nodes are not properly connected while in some places, buses are irregular,” said Archana Joshi, Sanpada resident.

NMMT provides extensive bus services, some of which ply on long distance routes, stretching from Navi Mumbai to Badlapur, Uran, Mumbra and Kalyan and thus often blames poor city roads for frequent breakdowns. Shirish Aradwad, executive engineer, NMMT workshop, complains, “Most buses are in a pathetic condition. Around 12 to 15 buses have to be brought to the NMMT workshop every day for maintenance.” Some buses stationed in garages cannot be repaired and are thus scrapped.

At present, the civic transport authority has a total of 336 buses, which operate on 37 routes and cover around two lakh commuters every day. The transport committee has also decided to add 25 buses to its fleet.

The problem with NMMT buses can be seen in all the nodes. Certain nodes are not properly connected while in some places, buses are irregular. ARCHANA JOSHI

Sanpada resident

Under the JNNURM scheme, NMMT had, in 2010, bought 120 buses. “Most CNG run buses developed technical snags within two years, with breakdowns being reported almost every day,” said Shirish Aradwad.

To solve the problem, NMMT has filed an application with Ashok Leyland company ( from whom the buses were bought) to repair and also provide new buses.