City bus service receives good response

Tribune News Service

Shiv Kumar Sharma

Yamunanagar, February 1

The city bus service launched in Yamunanagar and Jagadhri on Monday has received a good response. A large number of passengers has availed the bus service so far.

At present, five electric buses are plying on one route in both cities, but the service is expected to be expanded on two more routes.

However, it has impacted auto-rickshaws as people are preferring buses to these due to safety and time factor. The city bus service has been launched again in these two cities after about 13 years. In 2010, the service was stopped.

The Haryana Transport Minister, Mool Chand Sharma, inaugurated five electric buses in Yamunanagar under the Haryana City Bus Service Limited (HCBSL) at the Jagadhri bus stand on January 29.

According to information, these five electric buses are plying between the Jagadhri bus stand and the railway station, the route has a length of 13.4 km (up and down).

The buses have a number of stops on the route, including Market Chowk, Indira Colony, Agrasain Chowk, Dimple Cinema, ESI Hospital, Mukand Lal District Civil Hospital, Madhu Chowk, DAV College for Girl, and Bhagat Singh Chowk (Fountain Chowk).

Sandeep Kumar, additional depot manager, Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) Limited, said on the first day, as many as 665 passengers travelled on city buses, while 1,388 passengers availed the service on January 30. He said as many as 2,498 passengers travelled in these buses on January 31.

“The passengers will travel free of cost till Sunday, but from Monday onwards, they have to pay for the service,” he added. The additional depot manager said the first bus leaves from the Jagadhri bus stand at 6 am and the last bus of the day departs from the railway station at 9.45 pm.

The fare for the city bus service may range from Rs 10 to Rs 20. Residents of both cities have welcomed the decision to resume the city bus service. “We welcome the decision to start the city bus service as it is safe and saves time,” said Rajni of Jagadhri.

Satbir Sharma of Yamunanagar said it was a groundbreaking move towards eco-friendly transportation. “Electric buses will be helpful in reducing carbon emissions, promoting green energy and providing an improved public transportation experience,” he said.

According to information, there are 4,000 auto-rickshaws and 3,000 e-rickshaws in Yamunanagar, Jagadhri and surrounding areas.

“The city bus service will adversely impact our business. Most of the auto-rickshaws have been bought on loan. Now, after the roll-out of the electric city bus service, it may become difficult to pay installments as the footfall of passengers will likely remain low,” said Ramesh Kumar Manga, president, auto union, Yamunanagar-Jagadhri.

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