Commuters of private buses may have to wait longer for the safety of pneumatic doors going by the deliberations at a meeting of the Regional Transport Authority held on Tuesday.
RTA’s long-pending recommendation for the introduction of pneumatic doors has been hanging fire owing to stiff opposition from bus operators. State government’s draft notification making pneumatic doors mandatory for stage carriers, including city and mofussil services, could not be finalised for the same reason.
M.B. Satyan, the district secretary of Private Bus Operators Association, said introducing pneumatic doors at both ends would cost a minimum of Rs. 50,000. “Besides, doors would have to be reconstructed effectively tinkering with the entire body of the bus built to measurements set by the Motor Vehicles Act. It would be better to make it mandatory for new buses by incorporating these doors as built-in facility,” he said.
Operators felt the doors were susceptible to frequent snags because of their complex hydraulic system. Low floor KSRTC buses alone spot pneumatic doors while majority of city private buses operate without proper doors as the Kerala Motor Vehicle Rules make it mandatory only for mofussil services.
Joy Joseph, the State general secretary of Kerala State Private Motor Thozhilali Federation (AITUC), refrained from airing an opinion on the issue at the meeting. “Door checkers may lose jobs since these doors are controlled by drivers,” he said.
Pneumatic doors operate on a slide-glide system. They are expected to enhance safety since these sensor-driven doors open only after the bus comes to a complete halt and closes only when all the passengers have either embarked or alighted.
