About 60 passengers travelling from Mumbai to Pune aboard a Prasanna-Metrolink bus had a harrowing time on Sunday because of the vehicle’s faulty air-conditioning (AC) system.
About 60 passengers travelling from Mumbai to Pune aboard a Prasanna-Metrolink bus had a harrowing time on Sunday because of the vehicle’s faulty air-conditioning (AC) system.
Mumbai-based management consultant and one of the passengers, Shivalika Patil, told DNA, “I realised that the AC was not working when I boarded the bus at Chembur station (Mumbai) at 10.30am on Sunday. The bus conductor failed to give a satisfactory reply.”
The passengers, including some senior citizens, were forced to bear the extreme hot and humid condition, as AC buses have closed windows.
Patil said, “We were told by the conductor that an authorised person would meet us in Wakad (Pune), but no one turned up when the bus reached the place around 1pm.”
The Wakad police post did not lodge the frustrated passengers’ complaint. Some passengers decided to take private vehicles to reach home when the bus halted in Wakad, Patil said.
“After the whole drama, when we returned to the bus, the driver made us wait for another vehicle as his bus had developed some technical problem. I reached my destination around 3.30pm, two hours late,” Patil said.
Speaking to DNA, the travel company’s assistant manager, Nilesh Powale said, “The AC of the bus was working properly from the beginning. The passengers were affected as the outside temperature was high on Sunday. Moreover, as per the passengers’ complaint, we have refunded Rs100 to each of them and provided another bus to drop them to the final destination.”
Senior inspector GS Madgulkar of Hinjewadi police station said the passengers’ complaint was not entertained as the police do not have any role in the case. “However, they may approach the consumer court. The police can register only non-cognizable offence,” he said.
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