By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) Secretary T Lyngwa on Sunday informed that the last slot of Government sanctioned SPTS buses would be hitting the streets of the capital in May.
Speaking to The Shillong Times here on Sunday, Lyngwa said, “Twenty more buses will be coming by the first week of May.”
It was in July 2011 that the Government introduced the Government run buses sanctioned under the JNNURM and since then the number of buses have been increased but the bigger buses have not yet reached the State.
The last slot of buses would be bigger in size which would cater to long distance journeys while some of them would be empanelled to provide service in the city as well, Lyngwa said.
Presently 100 SPTS buses, 20 SSTS buses and 127 maxi taxis are being operated in and around the city by the State Government with the help of different self help groups.
However, one of the discouraging attributes of the services is that most of the buses as well as the maxi taxis go off the roads by 8 PM.
When asked about the timings of the services, Lyngwa said that the timings are extended in certain routes like Laitumkhrah and Police Bazar.
However, despite the claims by the MUDA Secretary, it is a common sight to see people making use of local taxis after 8 PM everywhere across the city due to the non availability of the buses and the maxi taxis.