Private operators submit objection to common colour for buses

PANJIM, JAN 7
The private bus operators today formally submitted their objection on the state government’s plans to have common colour to all buses in the state.
In a memorandum to the State Transport department, All Goa Private Bus Owners Association (AGPBOA) claimed that passengers identify the buses based on their colours.
 “The private buses are plying on various routes on clash timing. When buses moving different routes meet at particular bus stops, the passengers will be confused to identify the buses which go in their village due to common colour,” the letter reads.
“Most of our buses travel in the village areas like Sattari, Valpoi, Canacona, Cuncolim, where people identify buses based on the colour. They don’t read the name plate but they give preference to colour,” explains AGPBOA general secretary Sudip Tamankar.
The association also claimed that there are many operators who have been traditional towards the colour of their vehicles.
“The private bus operators are in the transport business prior to liberation and so on. The business of the then operators is now being continued by their sons or grandsons, who prefer to maintain the same colour to their buses which their father or grandfather had used,” the association said adding that there is need to preserve the sentiments of these operators.
The letter also reads that some colours go lucky to the bus operators due to which they are objecting to the uni-colour proposal.
The government as part of streamlining private bus service in the state had offered that all the private buses with All Goa Permits should have similar colour. The proposal was put forward in the recently held meeting by the Chief Minister Digamber Kamat and Director Transport Arun Desai.
However, the association took strong objection over the proposal during the meeting held on January 4, 2011.
 “Government should not think that the private bus operators are low quality persons and should not take steps to thrash their sentiments,” Tamankar said.
Tamankar, however, alleged that government does not follow rules when it comes to buses with All India Permits.
“As per Motor Vehicles Act, all the buses with All India Permits should be white in colour with blue strips but these rules are not been followed,” he said.