PATNA: Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) will run eight new 32-seater air-conditioned city buses by next week for commuters.
Four AC buses each would ply on two routes — route number one from Gandhi Maidan to Khagaul and route number two from Gandhi Maidan to Danapur. These AC buses will operate from 5am to 11pm and be available every one hour on their respective routes.
These Marco Polo buses of Tata Motors will have modern facilities including CCTV cameras, emergency alarm button, inbuilt fire extinguishers, Global Positioning System (GPS), electronic ticketing machine (ETMs) and music system. These buses will have six seats reserved for women, two for old people and two for the physically challenged.
“The fares of these AC buses is yet to be decided, but is likely to be double the fares of Non-AC ones running in the city,” Uday Singh Kumawat, transport secretary who is also holding the charge of administrator, BSRTC told TOI.
A proposal to have women bus conductors in these buses is under consideration. Eden Transport, a private firm, will run these buses too, along with the existing fleet of 70 city buses.
Besides, bus stops would also be constructed by next month. Kumawat said, “These bus stops will be like those in Delhi, with electronic board displaying the timetable of buses and the routes, and sufficient standing space with shade for commuters.