Poor public transport forces commuters, schoolchildren travel in a dangerous manner

Overcrowding in public transport during school and college rush hours in Tiruchi is causing concern among residents as it also endangers the safety of other commuters.

With educational institutions reopening for the new academic year, the authorities could take steps to end the chaos caused by unregulated transport, especially of children, during peak traffic hours, said activists.

Schoolchildren can often be seen hanging on precariously to the window grills of buses and balancing themselves on the footboard. A similar overcrowding can be seen in autorickshaws carrying schoolchildren some of whom share the seat with the driver.

“The frequency of bus services on rural routes is limited. Often, children in rural areas are forced to travel by any available commercial vehicle when they miss the bus,” road safety activist P. Ayyarappan told The Hindu.

A senior official at the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC), Tiruchi region, said the department conducts regular awareness campaigns about the dangers of footboard travel. “We will be introducing buses with doors to check this problem, besides carrying out spot checks on vehicles that are carrying passengers over the permitted number,” he said.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Tiruchi, said that efforts would be stepped up soon to streamline the flow of vehicles during rush hours. “We will make people disembark from overcrowded buses at crucial points of the city and discourage footboard travelling,” the official said.