Users of public transport in Dehradun continue to face problems caused by overloading, lack of regulated fare and other violations of the rules.
Though the public transport operators have been flouting various regulations for years now, the authorities have remained apathetic and have failed to take necessary action barring occasional campaigns which have evidently proved ineffectual.
Public transport vehicles including city buses and tempos rarely run on schedule in Dehradun and are overloaded most of the time.
This poses major inconvenience to the citizens especially senior citizens, women and the handicapped persons.
College student Monika Bisht who uses public transport daily, said that she often faces eve teasing in buses and Vikrams.
Special arrangements should be made for females while low floor buses should be operated for the handicapped, she said.
Traffic police man MS Bagiyal posted at Kanak Chowk near Astley Hall said that he often gets to see cases of drivers demanding commuters to pay more than the fixed fare. In the morning and afternoon when the schools open and close, it is common for students to board moving buses.
Natthuwala resident Sushila Aswal who was waiting for a bus at Astley Hall for half an hour said that commuters often have to wait for long periods to board public transport.
The authorities should either increase the number of public transport vehicles plying on the routes or ensure that they ply as per schedule, she said.
Another college student, Rohit Bisht said that bus conductors indulge in altercations and use abusive language. Bus users have to move earlier than schedule to catch buses and reach their destination on time, he added.
It is pertinent to mention here that though successive State governments claimed to have facilitated urban development in the State capital, the authorities have consistently ignored the need for improving the public transport system in Dehradun.
The improper state of public transport causes major inconvenience to the public, increases noise and air pollution and is also responsible for the deteriorating state of traffic movement in town.