Mumbai:
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), the country's second-biggest public transport system, has plans to start city buses for local travel in the various new urban centres coming up in Maharashtra, and also Mumbai.
MSRTC has always been known as the backbone of the rural public transport in Maharashtra, and with several new urban centres coming up, the undertaking has plans to exploit the market in these townships.
In Mumbai, the MSRTC runs local city buses between Borivli-Thane, Dadar-Panvel, Vasai and far-flung suburbs of the city, and has often felt many more such routes could be run.
"Maharashtra is rapidly getting urbanised, and ST buses cannot remain confined to rural areas and district headquarters. We have to start operations in major cities and new townships for public convenience and also to capture the urban market there," Deepak Kapoor, vice-chairman and managing director of the MSRTC told DNA.
The MSRTC has also started an ambitious programme of issuing tickets on electronic ticketing machines, and has already provided hand-held devices to bus conductors.
It also launched a local city transport service in Nanded on Sunday in the presence of chief minister Ashok Chavan. "We have launched 25 new, modern buses with digital displays, FM radio and ticketing on electronic ticketing machines at Nanded. We will increase the service to 40 buses by next week," Kapoor added.
Last week, the corporation launched a new air-conditioned semi-luxury bus 'Sheetal', with an air suspension system, in addition to the existing Shivneri a/c and semi-luxury (non-a/c) bus facilities.
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