By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: With the rise in the number of passengers travelling from Shillong to Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati, the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) has decided to launch air conditioned buses to ferry commuters to the airport.
Addressing media persons here on Monday, Principal Secretary of Urban Affairs, P Naik said that the bus service would start end of this month.
Initially, the department will operate two air conditioned buses for the passengers who, otherwise have to travel all the way to Guwahati airport by paying a hefty fare to the tourist taxis.
The tourist taxis normally charges Rs 500 per head from Shillong to Guwahati airport located at Borjhar.
According to Naik, the bus fare would be Rs 300 per head and ticket counters will be opened in Guwahati airport and Shillong.
The department in the last few years had launched buses and maxi taxis to improve the public transport system in the state.
The official informed that the remaining fifty SPTS buses will be arriving shortly and it will be made operational in October.
He, however, said that MUDA will be the nodal agency to operate the remaining fleet of fifty Tata buses under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
When asked about the reason for not allotting the remaining buses to MTC, P Naik said, “We would like to see more competition and there should be no more monopoly in running the buses since these are meant for public transport.”
The MUDA is also contemplating to come up with smart cards to help the passengers.
“We plan to have the smart cards in the range of Rs 100,300 and 500,” he said.
To serve the outskirts, MUDA will also launch bigger buses which would cater to the people residing in the far flung areas like Nongpoh, Mawryngkneng and others.
“Even these buses will be operated on PPP mode,” he said.
