Published On : Thu, Dec 22nd, 2016

MSRTC buses to have wi-fi next year, Nagpur in first phase

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Nagpur/Mumbai:
Soon you can enjoy wi-fi facility in all state transport buses plying from Nagpur. Maharashtra state road transport corporation has included Nagpur along with Mumbai, Pune and Aurangabad in first phase while while Kolhapur division will be included in the second phase.

An official of transport body informed that the entire fleet of 18,000 MSRTC buses will have the Wi-Fi facility for passengers by the end of August next year. The project, which will be executed by a private firm, will be launched in January and large divisions like Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad will be covered in the first phase, , he said.

Abhijeet Bhosale, assistant public relations officer of MSRTC confirmed the news to a news publication on Wednesday. He informed, “The Wi-Fi system will provide commuters entertainment like songs and movies, but services like Facebook and WhatsApp will not be available.”

“The corporation has successfully conducted trials in Pune division’s Swargate and Shivajinagar bus stands. Long and medium route buses, like Shivneri and Asiad, will get priority,” said Bhosale.

The MSRTC has also decided to launch Pravasi Wadhva (attract passengers) campaign next month. The best three depots will be awarded with Rs 1 lakh, Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 per month till March 31, 2017.

Navneet Bhanap, the controller of Kolhapur division, said the Kolhapur has connectivity with all major cities in the state. “Buses running between 50km and 150 km come under the medium routes, while those exceeding 150 km are categorised as long routes. We have 254 long route services,” he said.

The Kolhapur-Hinjewadi MSRTC WhatsApp group member Akshay Morche welcomed the decision to install Wi Fi in buses. “The state transport has been upgrading its services for the last couple of years, which shows its keenness to compete against private operators,” he said.