UPSRTC aims for 50,000 buses by 2030 despite aging fleet
UPSRTC aims to have 50,000 buses by 2030, but currently, almost 50% of buses are near expiration. Only 5,000 buses have panic buttons installed.
With the UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) announcing the goal to have 50,000 operational buses by 2030, data reveals that currently, almost 50% of the existing buses are nearing their expiration dates. It also suggests that buses are not being added to the fleet as quickly as they are being discarded.
As of now, the UPSRTC has 12,300 buses in its fleet, with 500 buses added in June this year. The technical manager of UPSRTC stated that by next year, 2,000 more buses will also be added. However, at this rate, the final target of 50,000 buses by 2030 may remain as a distant target.
When the ‘panic buttons’ for roadways buses were launched earlier this year, these buttons were fitted in only 5,000 buses, instead of the previously announced number of 6,000. When asked why, general manager, UPSRTC (IT and PPP), Yajuvendra Kumar shared that there was no point in installing these panic buttons in buses which will soon be put out of circulation in 1 or 2 years due to being older than 15 years. “The new buses which get added to the fleet will be pre-fitted with the panic buttons, and soon all buses will have them,” said Kumar.
This leaves almost 5,000 buses to transport passengers within the state, with not only waning fitness but also without the amenity of panic buttons. It is to be noted that the panic buttons were installed nearly three years after they were announced to the public.
The UPSRTC adds buses periodically, depending on how many they can acquire at that point.
Given the frequency of bus accidents in the state, it is imperative that these vehicles transporting most of the state’s passengers are maintained in good condition. Most accidents are attributed to the carelessness of contracted drivers, who are swiftly penalized for their errors.
As per a government order issued by the chief secretary of state Dayashankar Mishra, 23,652 people died and 31,098 were injured in 44,534 reported cases of road accidents in UP in 2023.
The transport corporation, on instructions from the transport minister Dayashankar Singh, has been conducting regular checks and inspections at bus stops across the city, taking action against drivers and conductors found to be flouting rules and neglecting their vehicles.
“If any bus depot is found to have vehicles that are unfit or in poor condition and still being operated, the ARMs (Assistant Regional Managers) and Regional Managers will be held responsible for the same,” said the minister.
