AN OPEN LETTER TO CMD OF Kerala SRTC

Dear Sir,

Please be kind enough to read the following text if you had watched the debate on KSRTC on Manorama News channel on 27-03-2018 at 8.00PM under nicknamed "counterpoint".I was devastated to watch the debate about KSRTC and prompted me to send this mail.  

With more than 50 years of working experience in the automobile industry in India and abroad, especially with Tata, Volvo, Hino, trucks, buses, construction, and mining equipment, industrial and marine engines, I felt hurt when I watched people with no knowledge about transportation of "people and goods" from point "A" to point"B" talk absolute nonsense in a live program. That may be because most of the public who watch such debate may not be technically oriented. I have noticed a trend in crucifying KSRTC by the media supported by some senior staff floating false propaganda. 

There are different types of maintenance practices followed by fleet owners. Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or yearly or based on the distance run by the bus. An intelligent fleet owner should adopt the maintenance as "scheduled" and "preventive". The rest is called regular repair or emergency repair. Beyond all these, there is an important factor which is the "willingness" of the staff and supervisors, and managers to sincerely follow the instructions in the operation and maintenance manual and make changes depending on the situation. Let us start with the new bus itself taking tires as the wearable, consumable, that costs money.

Tires:- There are different types of tires (not make). 

1.City use.....stop>go>stop>go kind of traffic. The pattern is different. The wrong selection of tires consumes more fuel, accelerate tire wear, causes irreparable damage to the tires.(beyond retreading possibility)

2.Medium & Longdistance routes......The pattern is totally different and helps conserve fuel up to 10% per trip because they do not apply the brake as frequently as in a city or town.

3.The type and tread pattern is different for "tires on driving wheels" and "driven wheels".(Tata, Ashok Leyland buses have driving wheels at the rear) Volvo have M models where the engine is fitted under the floor in the middle, R models have engines at the rear)

4.Tyre inflation checking on a daily basis. Calibrate the pressure gauges once a month to make sure that the recommended tire pressure is maintained correctly.

5.Make sure that every valve of the tire has a valve cap to prevent sand, dust, and water entry which reduces the tire pressure though it was checked before the schedule.

6.Visual inspection of the tires for cuts, bruises, and unusual wear on the center, sides of the tires. (an experienced technician or a "tyreman" can check the tire by using a one kg hammer for proper inflation though a primitive method)

7.Tyre rotation as per the tire manufacturer or bus manufacturer's recommendation and keep a record of each tire (all have serial numbers on the side) on a PC so that these are sent for closer inspection and retreading before it is damaged.

8.Never, Never mix different makes of tires. Each has its own material composition and load-carrying capacity.

9.KSRTC should have 37,446 tires rolling on the road and another 10,000 tires as spare. (my estimate) lying in the depots/workshops and various sizes of new tires in the store. 

10.How are the new tires stored in the warehouse or depot or workshop? Does anyone know how the tires are to be stored?

Well. I started with the "ground up"situation. If you are interested in knowing more about maintenance (as you call "service") you may contact me. I do not want any compensation, reward, honorarium, but help to save the reputation of companies that I worked for. 

There are other issues like the quality of fuel and its handling, lubricating oil, and its detailed recommended specifications and storage, oil sampling to find signs of wear and tear of the engine and other rotating components, how the payload can be converted to a number of seats and standing passengers, what should be the overhang in front and rear, etc. Another important factor is using city buses being used on the long-distance run. I take the credit for leading the team to introduce a "city transport service system" for Dubai Municipality in April 1990 with 16 Volvo B10M buses. Today Dubai RTA has 1442 buses operating 107 routes majority of them are Volvo Buses.

(Not allowing "standing passengers" in certain classes of buses by the apex court order is the crux of the problem. This is not because of the MV act, but purely technical reasons. Can anyone of your technical honchos explain the reason?)

I am 75 years old and have no intention of pointing fingers at anyone. By God's blessing, I am living peacefully in my adopted city. When we spend crores of taxpayers and passengers money on hosting stupid celebrations I thought the "Vikas" should start from the ground which the common man wants to commute for work or business. I do not need any compensation, reward, recognition to make the key people understand the basic principle of transportation of people.

If I do not receive a response from you, I shall go back to my "cave" and be a spectator of people with no technical or managerial ability "debate" and watched by citizens who pay their taxes and buy the ticket for their journey to nowhere and the destruction of KSRTC where few of my ancestors worked as dedicated workmen.

Best regards