Public bus service in Gurgaon yet to roll, but commuters hopeful

Residents a dedicated bus service would give them a cheaper commuting option

Day after Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) commissioner V Umashankar reiterated that an affordable city bus service will be launched in first quarter of 2018 during a public function, residents said they have set their hopes on the project for ending their transportation woes.

Residents said the public bus service in Gurgaon is inadequate to meet demand. (Sanjeev Verma/HT FILE PHOTO)

Gurgaon’s public transportation service is in a shambles, as the residents rely on 11 metro stations that mostly cover areas near the Delhi border, cab aggregators such as Uber and Ola and auto-rickshaws plying without meters to get around. On the city’s arterial roads, residents have to depend on app-based cabs to reach their destinations.

Residents said the existing bus service is inadequate to meet public demand and the buses are rickety at best.

Many residents said a dedicated bus service, covering major points of the city, is the need of the hour as it will help reduce their transportation costs by a significant extent.

“I incur a daily travelling cost of ₹300 in private cabs, as there is no cheaper mode of transport to my workplace. Such is the extent of my commuting expenses that I have had to cut down on travelling and work mostly from home. I rarely venture out these days. The introduction of a dedicated bus service will not only reduce my monthly expenses, but enable me to travel to more destinations across the city at half the cost that I am incurring presently,” Harish Gulati, a resident of Sector 50, said.

Some residents said a public bus service will enable them to travel short distances at a cheaper cost and spare them the hassle of haggling with auto drivers over fare.

“A large number of malls, movie halls and shopping centers are located on MG Road, which is barely three km from my house. However, commuting such short distances in cabs is far too expensive. Autos running without meters is the only other alternative, but one has to haggle with auto drivers for 10-15 minutes for a reasonable fare,” Sudhir Sachdeva, a resident of Sushant Lok Phase 1, said.

Read I Gurgaon bus service by March 2018, says MCG commissioner

MCG commissioner V Umashankar said the public bus service is on track for a 2018 launch.

“Efforts are on to introduce special purpose vehicles (SPVs) in the city. The memorandum of association has been approved by the state government and the articles of association is under consideration and expected to be approved soon,” Umashankar said.