Quite. One look at the figures, however, proves that it is a much belated reaction and still fails to take into account many vital aspects of the issue. Of the 315 people who have died in road accidents since January 1, as many as 297 were hit by buses. On January 8, for instance, 12-year-old Amandeep slipped from the footboard of a DTC km-scheme bus when the driver refused to stop near Guru Tegh Bahadur School in Karol Bagh. On March 11, another km-scheme DTC bus knocked down a 26-year-old scooterist in Pandav Nagar. That it took five innocent lives to shake the slumber of the Transport Minister speaks volumes for his concern for the safety of the people.

His genuine surprise at the rash driving of km-scheme buses betrays his ignorance of the road realities. As everyone who relies on DTC buses knows well, the km-scheme buses are the fastest things on four wheels on Delhi roads. If Blueline buses can turn any spot into a leisurely halt, the km-scheme buses give the best of metro rails a run for their money when it comes to the short duration of halts at scheduled stands. They scarcely stop because they get paid irrespective of the number of commuters, and that's precisely the reason why the DTC is losing so much money.

Not that the Bluelines are any better. If they sight a potential competitor on the route, they literally run amuck. Therein lies the crux of the problem. There is nobody to regulate the sole form of public transport in the Capital. Even as the DTC runs colossal losses, both the politicians and the bureaucrats continue to react in a predictable manner. They do little to improve the basic service, spending as they are more time thinking up grandiose plans for moments of public outrage that threaten their jobs. Come to think of it, it is hardly surprising that the Transport Minister knows little about the road behaviour of the fleets under his charge. He may not be true to his job, but he is only being true to his tribe. No wonder that he, along with the commuters, keeps getting taken for a ride.