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Commute in this Mumbai suburb to improve, NMMT to ply on more routes
Officials say buses will start on Taloja-Panvel and Panvel-Nere routes.
Panvel commuters, who are yet to get their own transport body, are soon going to benefit from the Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) services in their area.
Panvel Municipal Commissioner, Sudhakar Shinde, had requested NMMC commissioner N Ramaswamy to start new routes for NMMT buses in Panvel, which he agreed to.
“We want the residents of Panvel to get better public transport system. Till the Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) gets its own transport body, we have to look at other options. Hence, I discussed the issue with the NMMC commissioner, who has been very positive about it. Panvel residents will get more NMMT services soon,” said Shinde.
The services are expected to start after some technical issues are taken care of.
At present, NMMT bus services are run from Panvel railway station to Sai Nagar and Karanjade.
Panvel residents have long been suffering due to the highhandedness of local autorickshaw drivers and lack of adequate public transport system. Due to lack of options, the residents are forced to pay up whatever fare the autorickshaw drivers demand.
Apart from residents of Panvel, residents of New Panvel, Taloja, Kalamboli, Kamothe, Roadpali, Nere, Kalundre and Wadghar-Karanjade have also been facing the same problems.
“The service is expected to begin soon on a pilot basis. Initially, I have requested for bus service from Panvel railway station to Muzmbra, Taloja and Nere,” said Shinde.
According to an NMMT official, “We will first start on the Taloja-Panvel and Panvel-Nere routes. There will be 10 buses on the route that will make 42 trips every day and will run from 6am to 11pm.”
“The transport body is still reeling under losses. These new routes are expected to be profitable. We will get an additional 8,000 passengers,” said an NMMT source.
PCMC sources said there are also plans to ask NMMT to introduce a ring route in Panvel.
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