Nagpur: Grappling with huge losses and poor income in the aftermath of the Covid-19 crisis, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) is exploring new sources of income. In one such attempt, the MSRTC has decided to start ‘Orange City’ tourism bus from January 10.
“Starting January 10, the bus will run from the Ganeshpeth stand every Sunday and on public holidays considering the weekend tourism fad among people,” said divisional controller Nilesh Belsare.
The places to be visited include Suraburdi, Dhapewada, Adasha, Ramtek, Khindsi and Dragon Palace in Kamptee before returning to Nagpur. The bus will leave at 8am and will be back at 7pm.
For adults, the fare for the entire route has been fixed at Rs250 per person and Rs130 for children between 5 and 12 years. For the same tour, a private taxi charges more than Rs3,000 considering the increase in diesel prices.
“The journey mostly caters to temple tourism spots in the region. As per the policy decision, similar buses will be launched in every district. Pune has already launched such tourist buses for Asthavinayak, Raigad, Bhimashankar and Konkan,” said Belsare.
“The Nagpur division also plans to launch a tourism bus with one night stay for Chikhaldara soon. Earlier, the MSRTC Nagpur division had launched such a bus nicknamed ‘Fulrani’ on August 28, 2010. However, it was abruptly discontinued after 10 months,” said Belsare.