A BSRTC Volvo bus in Patna. The corporation will soon launch Mercedes Benz luxury buses in the state. Picture by Jai Prakash

Patna, Oct. 12: Residents of the state capital could get a luxurious gift this Diwali from the state transport department. Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) is planning to launch a fleet of Mercedes Benz luxury buses.

Transport minister Brishen Patel today said the buses could be on the road by Diwali. Once the service is launched, residents will be able to travel to different parts of the state and neighbouring Jharkhand in the air-conditioned luxury buses.

The fleet of 92 Mercedes Benz buses will cover 17 routes across the two states. Residents of the state the will be able to travel to 10 district headquarters in these vehicles. People will also be able to travel from Patna, Gaya and Bhagalpur to cities in Jharkhand on these buses.

BSRTC sources said the first lot of the buses had started for the city from Karnataka, where their parts are assembled. They would be on the road within a week of their arrival in the state capital.

“Although we cannot confirm the exact number of buses in the first lot or when they would arrive, the service would be launched within a week of their arrival. Everything depends on the actual date of their delivery, as things get stuck at times,” said a BSRTC official.

The minister, however, was more optimistic. He said: “We are likely to get 20 luxury buses by October 20. These would be launched on seven routes in Bihar and Jharkhand. We are hopeful that the delivery of the consignment and the necessary formalities would be over soon and the buses would be launched by Diwali.”

Patel added: “Later, a similar inter-state bus service would be introduced for other neighbouring states like Uttar Pradesh and Bengal. A bus service to Orissa is also on the cards.”

A BSRTC official said all the buses would be equipped with modern, passenger-friendly equipment. Each vehicle will have 53 reclining seats with hand rests on both sides.

“Each passenger will have sufficient leg space. They would also have at their disposal, a magazine net and a bottle holder,” the officer said.

Apart from these, passengers will also be able enjoy music or movies that would be played on a DVD player or 19-inch LCD screens that the buses would have.

To ensure safety, each bus would have six emergency hammers near the emergency exits and three fire extinguishers.