Nagpur: “Green bus operator Scania will be bringing 55 ethanol-run, pollution free buses to city. The operations will start from December 1,” said the Chairman of Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) Transport Committee Balya Borkar during a press conference here on Thursday.
Borkar further said that Star Bus was operating 170 buses in the city. All of them would be transferred to the new operators within a span of three months. “Apart from this, the new red bus operators will have to bring their own fleet of 65 buses each,” he said.
The new red bus operators have been instructed to start their services with 5 buses each, whereas Scania has been instructed to start with 10 green buses on December 1. The red bus operators will also have to refit and put to use 70 old buses.
While the tariff structure of the red buses remains unchanged, there is uncertainty about the ticket rates of the green buses. The operations of all the buses will be managed by IBTM from December 1. Parking arrangements for 25 new buses have been made at Lakadganj. The parking space for the remaining buses will be allotted very soon after a meeting of State’s Urban Development Department.
Borkar also informed that the bus drivers will get their salaries from the operators, whereas the conductors will be given salaries by the IBTM. The bus operators will be liable to pay all types of taxes. The operators will have to maintain a strength of 15 mini, 20 medium and 30 regular size buses.
The contract of present city bus operator Vansh Nimay will come to an end in February 2017. The Transport Department of NMC will present its budget in December 2016.
– RAJEEV RANJAN KUSHWAHA
