City to get 24/7 airport bus service

Staff working at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) and passengers have a reason to cheer. From next week, the Haryana roadways will launch a round-the-clock bus service to the IGI Airport from Gurgaon. Leena Dhankhar reports.

Staff working at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) and passengers have a reason to cheer.

HT Image

From next week, the Haryana roadways will launch a round-the-clock bus service to the IGI Airport from Gurgaon. The move has been taken to especially benefit employees, including pilots, air hostesses and hotel stewards, who stay in Gurgaon and daily commute between the two destinations. The service would be available every 10 minutes. The bus will have 33 seats and space for luggage.

The IGI Airport is yet to be connected to Gurgaon through the proposed high-speed Metro line. The project is still at the planning stage though the detailed project report (DPR) has been prepared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

At present, only Chandigarh-bound long-route buses halt at the IGI airport. The department will also hire new drivers for the service.

"We will start with 50 trips of non-AC buses before Diwali. We'll increase the number of trips to 100 after two months. Also, AC buses will be introduced depending upon the response," said Yashender Singh, general manager of Haryana roadways (Gurgaon).

Initially, the buses will start from the Gurgaon bus stand but gradually they will be connected with all major roads of the city.

Meanwhile, airport staff have hailed the move. "The bus facility will be a boon for us. Travelling on our own is cumbersome. We also face parking problems," said Shveta Sharma, an employee of GMR and resident of Palam Vihar.