By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The last slot of Government sanctioned SPTS buses finally hit the streets on Monday.
Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) Secretary T Lyngwa on Monday informed that eleven bigger buses have reached Shillong and some of them have been pressed into action from Monday.
Lyngwa informed that the State is expected to get twenty bigger buses under the JNNURM, adding the Central government altogether had sanctioned 120 buses for the State under the JNNURM.
The bigger buses are Tata Buses with a seating capacity of 35. Presently 100 SPTS buses, 20 SSTS buses and 127 maxi taxis are operating in and around the city and are being run by the State Government with the help of different self help groups.
According to Lyngwa, these buses would cater in Shillong city as well as outskirt areas like Mawryngkneng, Umroi and Umsning.
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.
Most of the drivers and conductors of these buses and maxi taxis who were asked to wear uniforms with nameplates are still not following the directives of the authorities.
The MUDA who is the authority to operate these buses have not yet came out with the smart ticket services where passengers were supposed to buy a smart card for traveling in the buses for a fixed period of time.