The Green Electric buses, which were introduced by the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) in January, have been facing several controversies since their inception.
Around 200 Green buses were introduced to provide the citizens an alternate mode of travel which is also environment-friendly and to bring down the level of emissions which normal diesel buses cause.
However, the buses have been reportedly running into problems since day one, with many commuters complaining about the lack of availability of buses and the long waiting times.
Additionally, members of the public have also accused the drivers of the ASTC Green buses of driving recklessly on the streets and creating a nuisance by randomly stopping in the middle of the road to pick up or drop passengers.
The allegations of rash driving especially came into the limelight last week when an accident was reported between a Green bus and an auto-rickshaw in the Khanapara area of Guwahati, which claimed the life of one person while injuring several others, after which the driver of the bus fled the scene.
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The shocking incident led to various social media users expressing their anger and sharing stories of their own dangerous encounters with the buses. One person on Instagram alleged that a Green bus dented his car while trying to overtake at a turning in the Rukminigaon area, while another claimed that a small collision with another Green bus on the Panbazar overbridge left his car headlights damaged.
“A Green bus hit my car on the Pan Bazar overbridge a few weeks back, damaging my car’s headlights. They drive very recklessly at high speeds and don’t even give the signal, which is incredibly dangerous at turning points,” a resident complained to GPlus.
Besides occasional accidents, the buses have also been causing regular inconvenience to passengers due to less availability in the evening hours and long waiting times at each bus stop.
Complaining about the long waiting times, a college student from Fancy Bazar said, “Whenever I travel in the Green bus, it is always very slow, especially on Sundays as the bus doesn’t leave the stand until another bus arrives which can take time. A 20-minute journey takes 45 minutes sometimes.”
Another commuter from Bhangagarh said, “There is no set time limit for how long buses can stop at a particular bus stop, so they stop for as long as they want. Sometimes, it takes up to 10 minutes for the bus to get to Lachit Nagar from Bhangagarh.”
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However, as per an official of the ASTC, the maximum wait time for a bus at stoppage is 1 minute. “The buses are directed to stop for only 1 minute at most bus stops, except Ganeshguri which is a centre point of traffic movement from several areas so it is impossible to leave after 1 minute due to the amount of buses there. At other stops, the maximum waiting time is 1 minute. Often, the buses even stop for half a minute at other smaller bus stops.”
Many officegoers have also complained about the lack of buses in the evening hours as the district administration had barred most of the city buses from plying inside the city even as the Green buses are found being low on charge and unable to travel further, impacting the daily commute of citizens.
“There are very few buses in the evening and the ones that come are very crowded. Plus, most of the buses don’t go to Beltola saying that they’re out of charge, so I’m forced to take a cab on most days which has really increased my travel expenses,” a regular commuter from Beltola told Gplus.
However, the ASTC official dismissed such claims and said, “Almost 95% of electric buses are operational daily, except on holidays when the percentage is reduced a bit. However, almost 80% of buses are always in operation every single day in Guwahati. Also, It is impossible for the buses to be out of charge since the charge is supposed to last an entire day. So, on a single charge, a bus can easily run from 6 AM in the morning to 9 PM at night.”
Regardless, many residents of the city have voiced their frustration about the hurried introduction of this new fleet of buses, with many feeling that it could have been done more smoothly. It is now up to the concerned officials how they handle these complaints and ensure that the buses adhere to the prescribed norms and do not cause trouble to commuters.
Whether or not the Green buses become a successful symbol of the city’s initiative to be more environment-friendly, or another debacle like the Pink buses, remains to be seen.