Maxi taxis to hit city roads soon
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The much-hyped maxi taxis will hit the city roads by the end of this year. The Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) will function as the nodal agency to ensure the smooth operation of this new mode of transportation.
Informing this to The Shillong Times here on Friday, Principal Secretary, Urban Affairs Department P Naik said, “We just want to give people an option for a better and comfortable mode of transportation.”
The maxi taxi, which has 7-8 seating capacity, will be initially launched on a trial basis and it will operate along some fixed routes.
The proposed maxi taxi has been awarded to the State under the 13the Finance Commission and initially 20 maxi taxis will ply within Shillong city
The proposed maxi taxi will give further boost to the public transport system in the city which has taken a new direction after the introduction of the SPTS buses, Naik said, adding that this move will ease traffic congestion in the city.
It may be mentioned that the commuters in Shillong continue to suffer as the local cabbies prefer to pick up long distance passengers only.
The SPTS buses have come as a huge relief for passengers who were earlier exploited by local taxis but there is still need for more buses in the city, sources said.