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Amritsar BRTS: PMIDC mulls fare cut, Golden Temple-airport link
As the metro bus service under the much-hyped bus rapid transit system (BRTS) project has been struggling for success, Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Company (PMIDC) has proposed to reduce the bus fare and introduce a new route connecting the Golden Temple to the Amritsar international airport to attract interstate and international visitors
As the metro bus service under the much-hyped bus rapid transit system (BRTS) project has been struggling for success, Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Company (PMIDC) has proposed to reduce the bus fare and introduce a new route connecting the Golden Temple to the Amritsar international airport to attract interstate and international visitors.
The ₹553-crore project had already been struggling to draw passengers before the pandemic too cast a shadow on the public transport.
PMIDC, a wing of the local government department, that took over the project from Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) on October 1, 2020, has stated that remedial actions were being taken to ensure maximum passengers availed of the service.
Akshay Sharma, transport manager at PMIDC, said, “Amid Covid-19 outbreak, we resumed the bus service in July last year. In six months, ridership has increased to 31,000 per day. Before the pandemic, it was 40,000. It is yet to achieve the previous daily count because the students who contribute to it considerably are not availing it due to suspension of offline classes in schools and colleges.”
Though the officials concerned are claiming these figures to be good, in view of city’s population and footfall of visitors, this count is considered far behind the level of satisfaction and success, as noticed by the conscious residents of the city.
“This is a project of the municipal corporation, which collects huge taxes from residents but doesn’t render up-to-the-mark services. The metro bus service has a few designated stations in the city. There are not parking arrangements for two-wheelers at these stations. These are among the many shortcomings of the bus operation that are turning out to be the hurdles in the way of its success,” said Kulwant Singh Ankhi, a patron of Amritsar Vikas Manch.
Presently, 93 buses are plying in the city. The total monthly expenditure is nearly ₹2.5 crore, while the revenue is ₹70 Lakh (approx). “The difference between expenditure and revenue does not matter as the transport is to facilitate the public,” said Sharma.
Delayed salaries
Bus drivers also face the issue of timely payment of salaries. “We get the salaries every month, but late and only after demonstration and strikes. We got the last month’s pay using these methods,” said Onkar Singh, president of the drivers’ association.
However, Sharma argued, “The bus operator is responsible for the delay in payment to the drivers. We release the salaries once the operator fulfills all the compliances.”
Expansion on cards
Talking about the future plan to popularise the service, the PMIDC transport manager said, “While we have proposed reduction in the bus fare, a study has been conducted to ensure that maximum people avail this service. As per this study, expansion of this service is in the pipeline. We have sent the expansion plan to the higher authorities for approval.”
As per this plan, Sharma said, “We have identified some potential routes in the city, on which the buses could be operated. The foremost route is the road leading to the airport. Keeping in view the religious tourism, we have proposed to connect Golden Temple to the airport to facilitate interstate and international visitors. With this service getting started, these visitors will get to have a smooth ride for nominal charges.”
Riding cashless
The PMIDC is also looking to provide a cashless riding experience to the passengers.
“We have also planned to introduce other modes of like payment like Paytm and GooglePay for the passengers in case they are without cash,” said Sharma. “Apart from this, we have also started saving ₹15 lakh monthly by changing the parking system of the buses. At the end of the route, the buses will remain parked there and it starts its operation from that point the next day,” he added.
