MONTHS AFTER it was rolled out the City Bus Service continues to notch up fresh admirers. A team of Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) officials on Tuesday landed in the City to review the service as a prelude to starting a similar project in their area.
The team, comprising RMC Speaker Lalubhai Parekh, vice chairman, Rajkot Chamber of Commerce, Mansukhlal Patel and deputy Municipal Commissioner Gulab Singh, inspected the buses and facilities offered by the Indore City Transport Services Limited (ICTSL).
Later, with Additional Collector Ramesh Bhandari in tow, the delegation also called on Mayor Uma Shashi Sharma. Heaping lavish praise on the project Speaker Parekh informed the Mayor that plans were afoot to start a similar service in Rajkot and a proposal to this effect had already been forwarded to the centre for approval.
He pointed out that the delegation was in Indore to study the fiscal and operational models for the City Bus service so as to facilitate the project’s speedy implementation in Rajkot.
At this the Mayor told the delegation that City Bus operations were being handled by a registered company manned by civic and district administration officials as well as elected representatives.
{{/usCountry}}At this the Mayor told the delegation that City Bus operations were being handled by a registered company manned by civic and district administration officials as well as elected representatives.
{{/usCountry}}She informed the team that a Rs 868 crore Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) project had recently been approved for Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) funding under which lanes would be specially reserved for City buses to cut down travel time.
The Mayor further revealed that ICTSL had waived 50 per cent charges for monthly bus passes for below poverty line (BPL) residents and also reserved seats for women and handicapped commuters.