Nagpur: Coming out of the Covid lockdown shadow slowly, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has earned Rs1.64 crore revenue by operating 157 Aapli buses on 85 routes in November.
Transport committee chairman Narendra Borkar on Friday directed the department to increase the number of Aapli buses by another 60 from next week.
After remaining shut for almost seven months, the NMC had resumed the Aapli Bus operations partially from October end. As a result, passengers on many routes, including Kamptee route, are facing inconvenience, while autorickshaw drivers are getting good business.
The passenger footfall on Aapli Bus is increasing steadily. On October 29, when the Aapli Bus resumed service, 4,654 passengers had travelled in it. Now, on an average, 39,000 passengers are travelling daily, data procured from the transport department revealed.
On Friday, Borkar had convened a meeting of inspectors appointed by Aapli Bus programme manager Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS). Of the 70-odd ticket checkers, only 54 attended the meeting.
He also formed a two-member committee of transport department officials Ravindra Page and Arun Pipurde for hearing cases of conductors caught pocketing bus fares. “If any conductor is found guilty for pocketing bus fares, he should be terminated directly,” said Borkar.
The transport committee chairman also expressed concern over ill-maintained buses and following his directives a flying squad has been formed to monitor the condition of buses.
Discrepancy in fine
The transport committee chairman has asked the department officials to ensure passengers don’t board city buses without wearing mask. Though NMC is levying Rs500 fine on people without mask, Borkar has directed to levy Rs100 fine on drivers and conductors found not wearing mask.
Date—-Passengers—-Revenue
Oct 29—-4,654 ——Rs82,825
Dec 10—-39,000—-Rs5,50,007