70% of automatic doors in buses repaired

The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has repaired 70 % of the buses with automatic doors in a bid to curb footboard travel.

Out of MTC’s total fleet strength of over 3,600 buses, 1,874 buses have automatic doors.

As most of them did not function, many commuters indulge in footboard travel. The MTC had earlier formed teams to ensure that the doors are repaired.

MTC branch managers were asked to monitor the maintenance of buses. The repair work is being carried out in a phased manner from depot to depot.

“As of now, the doors are being repaired. But there is some delay in getting materials. All the buses will be fixed in a month’s time,” said a MTC official.

Passengers claimed to have noticed the changes. “Things are definitely better from earlier when the doors in many buses were fastened with ropes. ,” said S. Ramkumar, a commuter.

The MTC is also planning to outsource personality development programmes to management institutes for train drivers and conductors, said an official.

Earlier there was only one training centre and 480 drivers and conductors used to be trained every month in yoga and personality development. Now there are five training centres and 1,920 are being trained every month,” Since July 2012, when the five centres began functioning, a total of 2,286 drivers and 2,579 conductors have been trained, said MTC officials.