PIMPRI CHINCHWAD : The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) has deployed an 8- member team to monitor bus services along the Nigdi-Dapodi BRTS stretch of the Pune-Mumbai highway.PMPML chief managing director Nayana Gunde said the team will comprise officers and employees of the transport utility and monitor operations such as bus schedules, passengers’ grievances, working of the radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags for docking of vehicles at the stops. The monitoring started from Sunday.The 12.5km Nigdi-Dapodi Bus Rapid Transport System stretch lies the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) limits. It is 61m wide and has four central concrete lanes for quicker travel. One BRTS lane is on each side of the concrete lanes and two service roads run on both sides of the highway.There are separate BRTS signals for enabling the buses to cross the chowk and re-enter the dedicate lane. However, a common complaint is that the BRTS bus drivers do not follow these signals. Gunde told TOI, “During my inspection visit on Saturday, we slapped Rs100 as penalty on 26 bus drivers each for not following the signals. The fine will increase by Rs100 each for repeat offence.”She added, “We have instructed the bus drivers to dock the vehicles properly at the bus stations. We have also deployed wardens at the bus stations to help passengers board and alight a bus.”Responding to the complaints that the doors on the right side of the buses do not function properly, Gunde said, “The BRTS buses are old ones. We have ordered proper maintenance of them.”

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