Volvo bus service to IGI Airport launched

Gagan K Teja

Tribune News Service

Patiala, June 24

After successfully starting two Scania luxury buses from Patiala to the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) today flagged off a luxury Volvo bus from Jalandhar to the IGI Airport under its plan to connect all main cities of Punjab to the Delhi airport.

A Volvo bus today started from Jalandhar at 8.20 am and reached the airport at 3.45 pm. The fare of the bus is Rs 985. The bus started back to Jalandhar from the Delhi airport at 5.30 pm.

Meanwhile, the PRTC has opened the tenders for addition of 150 new km-scheme buses. As many as 58 applicants have quoted prices between Rs 6.10 and Rs 7 per km which will be called during the first round as the previous rate of km-scheme buses is RS 6.68 per km and this rate had been applicable for the past six years.

The PRTC has also prepared a proposal to extend the routes of all its Delhi-bound buses to the airport. The proposal is aimed at providing convenient and economical transport to all residents  travelling in and out of India. On date, about 30 PRTC buses, including ordinary, HVAC and super integral coaches, are going to the Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT), Delhi, everyday from different depots of Punjab such as Patiala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Bathinda, and the corporation is plans to send all these buses to the Delhi airport. These buses will only have to travel about 20 extra km and the corporation does not require any special permit for it as it already has the permit to travel anywhere in Delhi. Moreover, even the bus fares would be almost the same.

Giving information in this regard, PRTC managing director Manjit Singh Narang informed that they had changed the guidelines as to who could run these buses to ensure transparency and control any kind of transport mafia. “No private transporter will be able to apply for these km-scheme buses. Moreover, one owner cannot run more than two buses under the km-scheme. Earlier, this number was five,” he said. Narang informed that they had already opened the tenders and the buses would be added within coming two months.

PRTC proposal

The PRTC has prepared a proposal to extend the routes of all its Delhi-bound buses to the airport. The proposal is aimed at providing convenient and economical transport to all residents travelling in and out of India. On date, about 30 PRTC buses, including ordinary, HVAC and super integral coaches, are going to the Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT), Delhi, everyday from different depots of Punjab such as Patiala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Bathinda, and the corporation is planning to send all these buses to the Delhi airport. These buses will only have to travel about 20 extra km and the corporation does not require any special permit for it as it already has the permit to travel anywhere in Delhi. Moreover, even the bus fares would be almost the same.