New inter-city buses with air-suspension technology are going to make your travel more comfortable.
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) on Tuesday added six 2x2 semi luxury buses to its fleet, which will prevent bumpy rides even on the worst of roads.
The first set of routes will include Mumbai-Pune, Mumbai-Nashik, Pune-Nashik, Pune-Nanded and Pune-Aurangabad. These 49-seater buses will have better quality seats and an increased carrying capacity.
"We have increased the seating capacity of these buses by eight seats and the length of these buses has gone from 10.5 to 12 metres," said MSRTC Managing Director, Deepak Kapoor.
These buses also have a front door entry, which is not a feature in the regular red-and-cream ST buses. By November, MSRTC plans to introduce 160 such buses.
These air-suspensions have been fitted at workshops situated at Dapodi, Pune and Chikalthana, Aurangabad. There will be no increase in ticket fares.
There is also a proposal to improve the cleaning facilities at depots, workshops and maintenance sheds of ST buses. "We want to eliminate manual cleaning and washing buses. We will call for an expression of interest from private companies," said Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Transport Minister.
There is a proposal to set up a subsidiary company, which will handle the operations of ST bus services to smaller towns, zilla parishads and villages across Maharashtra. It could be a 100 per cent subsidiary company started by MSRTC, which can also look at improving the infrastructure of ST bus depots.
{{/usCountry}}There is a proposal to set up a subsidiary company, which will handle the operations of ST bus services to smaller towns, zilla parishads and villages across Maharashtra. It could be a 100 per cent subsidiary company started by MSRTC, which can also look at improving the infrastructure of ST bus depots.
{{/usCountry}}"We will conduct a survey on the demands made by the zillas and villages to know the feasibility of this subsidiary company," added Vikhe-Patil.
MSRTC is also planning religious tourism in the state by providing special trips to Shirdi, Kolhapur, Shani-Singnapur and other religious spots.
Stay updated with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Mumbai. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top Cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and more across India along with Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.
Stay updated with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Mumbai. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top Cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and more across India along with Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.