Travelling from Shivranjani to Kankaria in a bus will soon be as cool as riding in an airconditioned car. The Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) will soon turn all its buses into airconditioned ones in a phased manner. Ahmedabad Janmarg Limited (AJL) sources said the AC ride would be kept affordable as officials did not want to restrict the number of commuters using the buses. AJL officials said there would be more AC buses added to the existing fleet before the end of the year. This is part of AJL’s commitment to giving more comfort to the commuters and getting more denizens to shift to the BRTS from their cars and twowheelers. “The non-AC buses will be gradually shifted to feeder routes while the AC buses will replace the existing ones,” said AJL sources. Thirty AC buses will be added in the next few months to the current 54-bus fleet.
AJL chairman and municipal commissioner IP Gautam said, “Increase of passenger comfort will be matched with meeting operational costs. We are hoping that the additional cost of running AC buses would be off-set by more passengers, advertisement revenue and parking charges alongside the BRTS corridor. We are keeping a rational approach as we want BRTS to be a sustainable venture.” A marginal seven to 10 per cent hike is expected in the overall fare, depending on the distance when the BRTS becomes an all-AC fleet. “Various surveys have been conducted on BRTS passenger behaviour. We have noticed that people across all salary groups are comfortable with a marginal hike. We are confident that the entire BRTS network, covering different parts of the city, will be ready in two years,” said senior AJL official.
AJL chairman and municipal commissioner IP Gautam said, “Increase of passenger comfort will be matched with meeting operational costs. We are hoping that the additional cost of running AC buses would be off-set by more passengers, advertisement revenue and parking charges alongside the BRTS corridor. We are keeping a rational approach as we want BRTS to be a sustainable venture.” A marginal seven to 10 per cent hike is expected in the overall fare, depending on the distance when the BRTS becomes an all-AC fleet. “Various surveys have been conducted on BRTS passenger behaviour. We have noticed that people across all salary groups are comfortable with a marginal hike. We are confident that the entire BRTS network, covering different parts of the city, will be ready in two years,” said senior AJL official.
No comments:
Post a Comment