As daily ridership touches new benchmarks, the public transport authority attached to the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has rolled up its sleeves to provide a robust bus service by making it more reliable and affordable for commuters in the twin-city.
Encouraged by the increasing ridership, the civic administration has decided to add 30 electric buses (non-A/C midi e-buses) to its existing fleet.
Municipal Commissioner Dilip Dhole recently gave his nod and allotted Rs. 14 crore for the procurement and subsidise contractors which will be executed under the wet-lease model in which the civic administration does not own the buses, but instead acquires it from contractors who provide services in exchange of a fixed per-km rate and generate income through advertisements.
Under this model, the buses will be owned, maintained and driven by private contractors who will also pay for fuel (charging), while the MBMC will only deploy conductors to collect revenue through ticket sales.
While the civic administration will give a subsidy of Rs. 45 lakh for each e-bus, the decision about the income generated through advertisements will depend on rates quoted in tender bids.
"Apart from reducing pollution levels through e-buses, our aim is also to ensure more vehicles on busy routes, less waiting time and affordable travel for commuters," said Dhole.
"The Midi buses, which will offer more connectivity to shorter journeys and internal areas, will prove beneficial to upcoming metro commuters in future," said administrative officer Dinesh Kangurde.
Clean air funds:
The MBMC has planned to spend a major chunk of the clean air funding amounting to Rs. 33 crore obtained under the 15th Finance Commission (FC) on electrifying public transport under the government's electric vehicle (EV) policy.
As per MBMC, 25 per cent of the bus fleet should be EVs by 2025. Currently, 74 buses are plying on more than 18 routes and an average of 75,000 commuters travel in and out of the twin city on a daily basis.
Heritage tour on wheels:
Toeing the lines of their Mumbai counterparts, the MBMC will introduce heritage buses in the twin city. From Ghodbunder Fort in Kashimira and Chimaji Appa Memorial in Uttan to historic churches and monuments in the twin-city, the heritage bus will offer a view of beaches and fishery hubs to tourists.
"To promote awareness about the need for eco-friendly measures, E-buses will be used for the purpose," said deputy civic chief Sanjay Shinde.
(To receive our E-paper on whatsapp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
