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Chandigarh to introduce shuttle buses at tourist places
The CCBSS has directed the architect department to develop a comprehensive plan in consultation with the engineering department and traffic police for parking buses at designated locations near popular tourist attractions, such as the Sukhna Lake, Bird Park and Rock Garden, and the Punjab and Haryana high court.
The Union territory is set to introduce shuttle bus services at the tourist places in the city to decongest traffic and improve the visitors’ experience. The decision in this regard was taken on Thursday during the 14th meeting of the governing body of the Chandigarh City Bus Service Society (CCBSS), functioning under the aegis of the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU).
The meeting was held under the chairpersonship of UT adviser-cum-home secretary Nitin Yadav..
The CCBSS has directed the architect department to develop a comprehensive plan in consultation with the engineering department and traffic police for parking buses at designated locations near popular tourist attractions, such as the Sukhna Lake, Bird Park and Rock Garden, and the Punjab and Haryana high court.
The engineering department would be responsible for marking parking spaces and erecting signboards to guide visitors. The society will also carry out a public awareness campaign to inform residents and tourists about the new parking arrangements.
CTU buses connecting the popular tourist attractions and the surrounding areas will operate at a frequency of 5 minutes with the minimum fare for a round trip fixed at ₹10.
The shuttle bus service will initially run on weekends and holidays on a trial basis. After taking feedback from the public, the necessary adjustments will be made.
Bus queue shelters to come up
To improve the experience of commuters, the body has resolved to implement “Delhi Pattern Bus Queue Shelters” across the city. These shelters will be designed with a focus on passenger convenience, safety and information accessibility.
Among the key features of these shelters are CCTV cameras, route maps to guide passengers, mobile charging points, dustbins, solar panels, aesthetically-designed artifacts, real-time bus information, emergency contact numbers, accessibility features for physically persons and installation and advertisement boards.
“The implementation of these modern and passenger-friendly shelters will enhance the commuting experience for residents of Chandigarh,” Nitin Yadav said.
He added that governing body had already sent a proposal for hiring 100 electric buses (12 metre) to replace diesel buses of depot -IV of the CCBSS to the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs under the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme.
During the meeting, the attendees were informed that there was an increase in the revenue of CTU and CCBSS. For CCBSS, the revenue increased by ₹3.14 in financial year 2023-24, as compared to 2022-23.
For CTU, the revenue increased ₹8.93 crore as compared to last year, despite 20 buses being remove from the fleet.
