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GSRTC to retire overage buses from May 2024: MD | Ahmedabad News
From May next year, the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) will not operate any overage buses in its fleet of 8200, said a top official on Wednesday.
“By the end of March 2024, we plan to buy 2,500 buses. We have already placed orders with Ashok Leyland for 1,282 55-seater buses. Another 800 will be built in our workshops for which we have procured the chassis. We will also be building 200 sleeper buses. But from May 2024, we have targeted not to operate a single overage bus,” GSRTC Vice-chairman and Managing Director MA Gandhi told The Indian Express.
Data tabled in the Gujarat Assembly during the recently concluded monsoon session show that GSRTC continues to operate 1,740 ageing buses that have completed the prescribed distance of 6-8 lakh kilometres. According to GSRTC’s own norms, buses like Super Express, Gujar Nagari and Sleeper Coaches continue to be in service till it runs a distance of eight lakh kilometers. Similarly, midi or mini-type buses are kept operational till they run for six lakh kilometres or for five years, whichever is later.
Despite getting permission to buy 1,200 new buses in 2022-23, GSRTC added just one-third of the buses — 400 buses — to its fleet. “Most of the ready-made buses we bought were midibuses that can seat 34 passengers. There were some changes in the guidelines of MoRTH (Ministry of Road Transport and Highways) that delayed the purchase of the buses. However, we did buy chassis to buy larger buses,” Gandhi said.
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Apart from carrying passengers, GSRTC buses are also operated for functions sponsored by the Gujarat government, data tabled in the state legislature show. Between 2020-21 and 2022-23, there has been a 77 per cent increase in the number of buses used for government functions. For instance, in 2022-23, a total of 38,868 GSRTC buses were hired to transport people for such events.
The Gujarat government has paid Rs 112 crore to GSRTC in fees for the buses hired between 2020-21 and 2022-23, while Rs 41.01 crore is pending.
During the three-year period, GSRTC buses were also used for ferrying people for events where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gujarat chief minister were present. The number of such buses rose from 122 buses in 2020-21 to 31,211 buses in 2022-23. GSRTC is yet to be paid dues worth Rs 22.16 crore for these events held during the three-year period.