Lack of popularity hits Punbus service
Avneet Kaur
Jalandhar, July 6
Even as the Punjab Roadways restarted the luxury bus service connecting Jalandhar to the Indira Gandhi International Airport , New Delhi, in June last year, the department has done little to make it popular among the masses. The service, which is being offered at half the price than another private company, has a huge viability in the NRI-dominated Doaba region.
Despite much difference in the fares and the same comfort level, the response to the Jalandhar-Delhi Airport Punjab Roadways bus in comparison to the Indo-Canadian Bus Service is lower. While the Indo-Canadian transport plies 10 buses daily on the route, the Punjab Roadways has just two buses on the route in a day.
Even as the service has been made available by the Punjab Roadways at a nominal amount of Rs 1,020, a big rush of passengers can be observed at any time of the day at the Indo-Canadian Transport Company, which is reportedly owned by the Badal family. The Indo-Canadian transport had recently jacked up the fare to Rs 1,850 for an ordinary AC bus service and Rs 2,900 for luxurious and easier ‘business class’ ticket.
The Punjab Roadways has perhaps failed to attract passengers due to unavailability of the bus as per the timings preferences. Sukhvinder Singh, Supervisor, Punjab Roadways, said the tickets were available online and also at the booking counter at the bus stand. “For now, two buses are scheduled daily for the Delhi airport in the morning and at night. Although many passengers avail our services, but most of the NRIs prefer private buses the reason for which is unknown,” he said. Asked whether the department was planning to come up with more buses, he said the matter was under consideration and nothing had been finalised so far.
Meanwhile, most of the passengers were caught unawares of the service. Lovepreet Sandhu, a native of Jalandhar living in the US, when asked about the reason behind not travelling by Punjab Roadways, said, “I was not aware of this and while I searched online on various websites, the only option available to me was the Indo-Canadian Bus Service. No one has ever discussed about the Roadways bus”.
Another resident of Jalandhar, Pradeep Singh, who was travelling to the Delhi airport for Canada said, “I am moving abroad for the first time. My relatives had travelled earlier and they had only recommended me to go for the Indo-Canadian bus. Had I known that the Delhi airport bus is available at half the price, I would have surely opted for that.”
In fact, the same response went repeating as other passengers too seemed unaware about the government-owned Punjab Roadways luxury bus service to the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
