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Journalism of Courage
COME SATURDAY, the waiting time for commuters to board Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) buses will get shorter and the frequency of buses on key routes will improve as 49 new buses are to be inducted into the existing fleet.
To board CTU buses on key inter-city routes during daytime, commuters have to wait for 20 to 40 minutes at present. The maximum waiting period is of 40 minutes on the routes from ISBT-43 to Kaimbwala and ISBT-43 to Sukhna Lake. Bus service to Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) from different parts of the city carries maximum passengers back and forth to the premier health institute with a waiting period between 20 minutes and 40. Around 30 buses are being used on different routes to PGIMER.
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During night, the waiting period varies from 45 minutes to over an hour. Waiting period from ISBT-17 to ISTB-43 is 45 minutes while commuters have to wait for over one hour to board a bus from PGIMER to IT Park at night.
UT Director (transport) Amit Talwar said that all the new buses would be pressed into service on all the key routes. “Commuters can expect less crowded and more frequent bus service,” said Talwar. He added that with addition of new buses, the waiting time would come down by at least 10 minutes on key routes.
As per official figures, CTU has a fleet of 470 buses which are operating from its four depots. The fleet comprises standard size buses, semi-low floor non-AC buses, AC buses, low-floor AC buses, low-floor non-AC buses and mini-AC buses. Out of the total buses, 87 are being used for long routes while the remaining buses are used for city bus service which serve the Tricity of Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali, and suburban areas like Zirakpur and Kharar.
The Chandigarh Administration has laid a lot of stress on improving public transport in the revised smart city proposal.
Marred by delays
INDUCTION of the 49 buses, which have come as a replacement for old buses, has been marred by delays. CTU had to invite tenders five times after receiving poor response from the bus manufacturers due to stringent terms and conditions.
The buses were delivered in February this year and CTU had to pay penalty for getting the buses passed from State Transport Authority after the lapse of one-month period.
The new buses will be flagged off by local MP Kirron Kher from Sector 43 Inter-State Bus Terminal on Friday evening.
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