14 minibuses hit the road, 114 more to be flagged off soon in Haryana, says minister Moolchand Sharma

GURGAON: Transport minister Moolchand Sharma on Saturday flagged off 14 minibuses from his constituency, Ballabhgarh, and said 114 more would be deployed across the state soon.
The transport department had procured 128 buses in total to strengthen its fleet.
“We have fulfilled our promise of making road travel easier for the people of Haryana. We have been continuously expanding the fleet and have recently added 128 mini-buses. Of these, 14 are being flagged off now and more will be deployed on other routes in the coming few days. Soon, we will launch electric buses to promote green mobility and initiate our efforts towards carbon neutrality,” said Sharma.
Of the 14 buses that were flagged off on Saturday, nine will be operational from Gurgaon and five from Palwal. The minister said these busses had been procured especially for students who struggle to commute from the rural areas.
“We have procured these buses to ensure no student remains out of school or college due to lack of proper transport. It had been brought to my notice that in several areas such as Palwal and Nuh, there was a need for strengthening the transport system. These buses are a gift to all such students in the state. Our department will be mapping routes in a way that these buses can address the commuting demands of the students,” he added.
Officials said the transport department was collecting data from colleges and schools to prepare timetables for these buses.
“While these buses will be used for general transportation needs, they will run on routes where students, especially girls, face difficulty in commuting to their schools and colleges. The new academic session has just begun and the government is working on a zero-dropout policy. And good public transportation will a go long way in realising that objective,” said a senior transport department official.
Officials said the Roadways has procured 128 minibuses with 10 years of annual maintenance contract. These buses are fitted with technology such as live tracking. “These are 32-seater buses and fitted with new technology for effective monitoring and safety of the passengers,” the official said.