By Our Reporter
Shillong: The much-hyped SPTS buses have become the lifeline of hundreds of Shillongites in a very short time. Most commuters are now dependent on these Government-run buses.
Earlier the frequency of these buses was appreciable as they would be passing through different areas of the city in intervals of ten minutes. In fact when they were newly launched the buses were ubiquitous.
Of late, however passengers in Rynjah, Dum Dum, Nongthymmai, Mawblei and other areas claim that the frequency has dipped. They wonder if the service will be short-lived.
“Many of us have learnt to depend on these buses to commute to our offices and to the market. Of late the taxis are again doing brisk business and fleecing passengers,” S Lyngdoh a government employee from Nongthymmai rued.
While the citizenry is clamouring for better frequency in the areas, the SPTS authorities are blaming the burgeoning traffic and the jams they create as one of the major reasons for the slower frequency of the buses.
The AGM (Operations) of Meghalaya Transport Corporation Anthony Pariat while speaking to The Shillong Times here on Wednesday said, “ Earlier 7 to 8 buses were operating in the area but now due to traffic jams only 4 to 5 buses are deployed.”
Traffic jams have slowed the frequency of our buses,” Pariat said adding that there was nothing much that could be done.
The residents of the area complained that earlier the buses were coming in every 10-15 minutes but now the commuters have to wait even for half an hour for boarding an SPTS bus.
According to Pariat, the SPTS is trying its best to cover all the areas of the city but the traffic jam is a hindrance to its regular frequency in the city.
“We are sending 3-4 buses particularly in Dum Dum area out of the additional 10 buses which have been sanctioned recently,” Pariat added.
The frequency of the buses have also been questioned in Jhalupara and Rilbong areas where the buses are seen only once or twice in half an hour. People have seen how efficiently they functioned earlier and want that service to continue.
Some commuters from Mawlai also stated that there should be at least two buses for Mawlai during the peak hours from morning till 11.30 am when all students and office goers rush to their respective locations.
“The bus which comes in the morning is always packed with commuters and customers are forced to wait for the next one so there should be at least two buses deployed in the morning for Mawlai,” one of the residents from Mawlai stated.