Bad tyres puncture bus service in city

GURGAON: The city bus service, which started with much fanfare earlier this month, has been running into a lot of problems with the buses breaking down every now and then, thanks to punctured tyres.
Not only the passengers, but also the drivers and conductors of the buses have been feeling the heat. Surjan Singh, bus driver, said, “Time and again, the tyres of the buses are getting punctured.It is partly because of the heat but the poor tube lining of the tyres is a major reason why they are getting punctured so frequently. The weak lining cannot withstand this high temperature.”
The intra-city bus service was launched on May 12. In the first phase, 36 buses had hit the roads in double shifts on four routes and passengers were promised that they would get a bus every 10 minutes. With much fanfare, buses were flagged off by the Haryana State Transport Corporation director general, Arun Kumar, who said that the bus service in Gurgaon was a long-standing demand of the residents and they hope to meet the demand.
Passengers are also facing the brunt of poor bus quality. “The buses are no good. I have wintnessed puncture of tyres twice in the buses I have taken. Then we had to stuff ourselves in another bus in this scorching heat,” said a passenger.
Another driver, Narendra Kumar, and the bus conductor, Attar Singh, said, “These engines were manufactured in 2009. It is only the body which is new. There is a defect in the machinery, and the tube lining in particular.
When contacted, sources at the transport department admitted that the city buses have been facing the problem of punctured tyres. One of the sources said, “It’s mainly because of the heat. Also, many of the buses were not in use for a long time due to some issue or the other and this has also led to the deterioration of the tyres. We are looking in to the issue and hope to find a solution soon.”