Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) is looking for private agencies to operate city buses in the State capital. In this regard the civic body has also floated a tender on February 10 while the last date for submitting it is February 23.
In the present model, two or three agencies are involved in the operation of these buses. RMC is looking for a single agency to run the same which will not only operate the buses but will also provide the drivers and be responsible for the maintenance of the vehicles. The routes, timings and fares will be decided by RMC.
“The objective is to operate the bus service in a more scientific manner. A single party will now be involved in running it so that people can have easy access to the service. In a recent visit of the Secretary, Government of India, to Ranchi he was impressed with the operation of bus service and has promised to provide RMC with 500 more buses in the near future. A proposal is also being made in this regard. This will further ensure the frequency of buses at a particular stoppage and will also put the system in place,” said Ranchi Municipal Commissioner, Mukesh Kumar.
About 20 buses are being operated by RMC at the moment while another 15 which are being repaired will soon be added to the fleet.
“The operator will be responsible for arranging the fuel, managing the parking and also hire drivers. A special bus for ladies will also be started in which men will not be allowed to board the bus. This service will also have a female conductor. The tender has been floated many times in the past as well and hopefully two- three agencies will come forward this time. The purpose of city bus service is to give an easy mode of communication to the public and also ease the load on traffic,” said Assistant Municipal Commissioner Jyoti Kumar Singh.