Passengers vent ire against stuffy, sultry MTC buses

Commuters travelling by jampacked non-A/C MTC buses in the sweltering heat are now subjected to another inconvenience - the lack of fresh air. Despite a majority of buses in the city being equipped with twin ventilation windows on the rooftops that allow for some fresh air to come in, only a handful of these ventilators are able to serve their purpose. 

The rooftop ventilators help reduce excessive heat within the coach and allow for fresh air to be circulated. However, due to faulty mechanism, many of these ventilators are kept shut, which turns the bus into a veritable oven that makes for a very uncomfortable journey.

Talking about the agony faced by passengers and the crew of MTC buses, V Saravanan, an ITES professional says, “During the morning and evening hours in peak summer time, it becomes uncomfortable for both travellers and bus staff as the buses are overcrowded and there is barely any room to breathe. There is no respite for non A/C deluxe buses, as they have to keep their automatic doors shut, which cuts off the air supply significantly. The ventilators on the roof of the bus are serviceable, but mostly, they are jammed shut due to faulty mechanism.” 

A member of MTC’s employee union, says, “Before 2011, a majority of buses plying on city roads were equipped with rooftop ventilators. However, their hydraulic arm-based mechanism makes them prone to rusting and other wear and tear in a short span of time. Very few of these ventilators have been overhauled in the past few years due to which they are in a state of disrepair and have to be kept propped up. There are as many as 3,500 MTC buses plying in the city of which 400 buses have no ventilators at all.” 

The source adds, “The need of the hour is a partial revamp of the rooftop of the buses. A cost effective solution could be to install a thermocol or coir based lining between the aluminium sheets that make up the roof of the bus - this can help deflect the heat like a false ceiling and allow for some fresh air to be circulated through the ventilators.”