Poorly maintained roads damage buses, risk lives: Bus operator

Poorly maintained roads in Vanua Levu are causing frequent bus breakdowns, higher repair costs and safety concerns for passengers, a bus operator has claimed.

Dalip Chand and Son Pte Limited managing director Rohinil Chand said several of the company’s routes were affected by deteriorating road conditions.

Mr Chand said repair costs were rising and, at times, outweighed revenue, affecting the company’s cash flow.

Despite the challenges, he said the company continued to service the routes to avoid disrupting passengers.

“Our buses get stuck on poorly maintained roads and we then have to arrange new parts and urgent repairs,” he said.

“The bus body gets damaged and the mechanical springs are affected when buses suddenly hit bad road surfaces.”

Mr Chand said he had repeatedly raised concerns with the Fiji Roads Authority (FRA), calling for repairs to ensure uninterrupted bus services.

“We have been raising the issue of bad roads with FRA for many years now, yet they seem to turn a blind eye to our requests,” he said.

He said the authority needed to be more vigilant in carrying out regular road maintenance.

With heavy rain experienced in the Northern Division this week, Mr Chand said the company had to suspend about 80 per cent of its services because many roads were flooded or inaccessible.

“When a bus breaks down, the time lost during repairs also affects our service delivery,” he said.

“We have to consider the best interests of our passengers. They have important family functions and commitments, but when a bus breaks down, they are forced to miss out.”

FRA response

In an emailed response, the Fiji Roads Authority said ongoing wet weather had significantly affected its ability to carry out routine road maintenance.

“This has had a severe impact on road conditions,” the authority said.

It said resources had been redirected to emergency restoration work in flood-affected areas.

“Due to unfavourable weather conditions and flooding experienced in the Northern Division, road restoration works have been affected,” FRA said.

The authority acknowledged that bus services were disrupted when crossings were submerged, road approaches were washed out or roading infrastructure suffered severe damage.

However, it said routine maintenance, road rehabilitation and drainage improvement works continued where weather conditions allowed.