Tum-tums gone, commute crib on IIT-Powai campus

MUMBAI: IIT-Bombay’s decision to discontinue tum-tums (small buses, pic) on the campus has upset students as an alternative transport system is yet to be introduced. It is either bicycles or autorickshaws now.
The efficiency of the tum-tums has long been debated, and the shrinking fleet of illmaintained buses was unable to service the increasing population on the campus. Despite all the problems, their absence is adding to our commuting woes, said a student. “We had some transport facility till a few months ago. Right now, we do have bicycle pooling systems in some of the hostels and most rely on auto-rickshaws, which are not affordable,” he added.

Tum-tums, the red-blue-green buses used to transport over 10,000 residents from one point to another within the campus, was discontinued during this summer vacation. The service was started in 2007 with about 10 small vehicles running on CNG for about 3,000 students. A decade later, with the total students’ population crossing 10,000, the vehicles were not sufficient, even in a new bigger avatar, said a student. The tum-tums, managed by the Students’ Welfare Society, were not cost-effective either, said an article in the institute’s newsletter, Insight.

A student’s council representative said they are trying to outsource e-shuttle services to an outside agency on a pilot basis. “We are trying to start 10-14 seaters on a pay-perride basis. Bicycle pooling will remain an alternative,” said the representative. Students wondered if the e-shuttle may prove expensive. While they paid Rs 1,000 for the tumtums per semester, e-shuttle would cost Rs 8-10 per ride.

“IIT-Bombay ran the tum-tum service for over a decade. However, there were too many operational problems and discontinuing it seemed the best solution,” said an official.