By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) will operate the new fleet of fifty buses to be procured for the Shillong Public Transport Service (SPTS) which are expected to reach Shillong by September.
Though the SPTS is currently operated by the Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC), MUDA has decided to operate the next fleet of buses since questions have been raised on the efficiency of the MTC in running the public transport service.
Sources from the MUDA on Sunday informed that the fifty buses will come in batches and some buses are likely to reach Shillong within this month.
“By the end of September, all the fifty buses will arrive which will be operated by us,” a source from MUDA said.
Earlier, MUDA had forwarded a proposal for running the bus service to the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) which gave permission for the same.
The buses were procured under the JNNURM and the Urban Affairs department handed over 50 buses to the MTC for running the SPTS.
The bus service, which was successfully launched last year, has earned revenue to the tune of Rs 2.77 crore in the past one year.
However, there has been more than one instance when commuters have complained of non-issue of tickets by the conductors besides several complaints of over congestion and poor maintenance of the red buses which have now become a familiar sight in the city.
The Urban Affairs department is also in the process of finalizing the smart ticket services where passengers have to buy a smart card for traveling in the buses for a fixed period of time.