Buses bolster Shillong fleet

Shillong, Sep 1 : More buses under the flagship Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission (JNNURM) have arrived in the city whose residents have been enjoying the ride under the first organised public transport system.

Since July 22, when the JNNURM buses were officially commissioned, people in Shillong and those on its outskirts have been utilising the maroon minibuses for commuting.

The fleet of 40 buses has come as a big relief for the commuters who often face arrogance of the cab drivers.

From July 22 till Sunday, the Shillong Public Transport Service, a special cell of the Meghalaya Transport Corporation which is operating the buses, has been able to accumulate around Rs 28 lakh as revenue.

In July, a memorandum of understanding was also signed between the transport department and the urban affairs department on the operation of these buses.

July 22 could have been a “turning point” for the harassed commuters as the maroon buses were pressed into service which was seen as a precursor to a comfortable public transport system, an amenity Shillong has been deprived of for years.

Till date, the Shillong Public Transport Service has been running a fleet of 40 buses. Another 10 such minibuses have already arrived in the city and those will be soon put into operation. It is also expecting 10 big buses by October and these will be used to ferry passengers to the outskirts.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Meghalaya Transport Corporation assistant general manager (operations) Anthony Pariat said: “We are satisfied with the performance of the buses ever since they were commissioned last month. There is, however, no room for complacency and we are hopeful of being able to improve the service.”

He said the complaints from passengers of conductors not providing them tickets have dwindled to a large extent. “The conductors are now more equipped to deal with the ticket machine. We are also pleased that the money which comes in on a daily basis is more or less up to our expectations.”

Pariat said the buses bring in around Rs 80,000 per day, but the Shillong Public Transport Service’s expectation is to generate Rs 1 lakh.

Pariat said smart cards would soon be introduced for regular passengers. Citing an example, he said in the near future, people can buy a smart card and travel in a bus for the whole month.

Pariat said the conductors would first have to be trained to be able to apply the smart card system. Installation of the global positioning system in the buses to monitor their movement will be taken up at a later stage, he said.

On the 10 new minibuses that have arrived, Pariat said the Shillong Public Transport Service was yet to decide on the routes which the buses will ply. He said the 10 big buses which were expected to arrive before October will ply only on the outskirts to avoid congestion in the city.

The Shillong Public Transport Service, Pariat said, has a huge challenge before it to make the system sustainable as the citizens have been yearning for a functional public transport service.

Earlier this month, urban affairs minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said performance of the buses would be analysed after a period of 90 days beginning from July 22.