Bus Operators Meet

- Ashish Bhatia

Claimed to be the force behind the organising of the recent ‘Prawaas’ exhibition for buses and cabs in Navi Mumbai, the Mumbai Bus Malak Sanghatana (MBMS) got Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) to sponsor its seventh Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Mumbai. Reflecting the aspirations of the 300 member strong bus operator body, the event turned out to be a grand affair. Expressed Harsh Kotak, General Secretary, MBMS, “As an association, we have reached a stage where the decision making bodies listen to us; lend us an ear.” Touching upon the achievements of MBMS over the past one year, Kotak mentioned that the members have elevated the association to the level of a public transport undertaking. Confident of increasing the member count from the current 300 by a good margin considering that there are an estimated 1000 bus owners and operators in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), the association has decided to hike the membership fees. It has also decided to appoint an official spokesperson.

Marking a display of BharatBenz 914 school bus, BharatBenz 917 AC bus, and a 12m 1623 Coach Chassis at the AGM venue, the meeting saw members mentioning the organising of ‘Prawaas’ exhibition. Conducted by the Bus Operators Confederation of India (BOCI) with the help of MBMS, the expo attracted over 120 participants. With preparations to successfully conduct the next edition of Prawaas said to be in motion already, Kotak announced, “BOCI contributed a sum of Rupees-five lakh towards deposits to MBMS for Prawaas 2017.” He drew attention to the Mumbai traffic commissioner’s mandate to ply buses outside the city limits beyond peak duty hours. Hinting at the association’s connection with the Union transport ministry, Kotak expressed that the order was held back.