Govt school bus services to continue: Conrad

SHILLONG, July 30: Even though many of the parents so far have not opted to use the government buses to drop their children to schools, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has made it clear that the government will continue to run the services.
The government’s idea of introducing school buses so far has not yielded very satisfying results as majority of the parents are still seen dropping their children to schools in their private vehicles every morning.
Speaking on the initiative recently, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said that the government is committed and will continue the project.
Admitting that this is a new concept which will take time for parents to feel comfortable, he added that parents would definitely see if the buses are safe and whether they feel comfortable or not.
“We have to allow new system to come in,” he said while adding that once parents feel theses buses are safe, the government is optimistic that more and more people would come to use the services.
The government is operating school buses under STEMS which is a society incorporated by the government of Meghalaya in 2022, to revolutionise the way people commute by leveraging modern transport solutions that are safe, sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective. The objective of the society is to develop and implement transport solutions that can enhance mobility, reduce congestion and benefit the environment by reducing emissions.
Shared Commuter Bus Project is an initiative that aims to gradually transform the current mobility landscape of Shillong and shift the mindset of people from using private cars to efficient and sustainable public transport system with enhanced comfort, safety and timely services.
The main features of the buses are Safe Customized Bus Fleet, CCTV cameras inside buses, trained staff, real time tracking, etc