Transport minister Brishen Patel (extreme left) flags off the city bus service in Gaya on Monday. Picture by Suman

Gaya, Sept. 12: The long-awaited city bus service started here today. Bihar Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary, state transport minister Brishen Patel and urban development minister Prem Kumar flagged off the buses at a function organised on the campus of Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) office here.

Gaya is the third city in Bihar after Patna and Muzaffarpur where city bus service has been introduced. Other cities like Darbhanga, Bhagalpur and Munger will also get the service in the coming days, Patel said while addressing the function.

“If the response of the city bus service is good, air-conditioned buses will also be provided in Gaya in view of the inflow of pilgrims and tourists who visit the Vishnupad Temple and Bodhgaya,” he said.

By the end of October, Volvo buses that cost around Rs 1 crore, will be started for Patna from all the district headquarters of the state. There is a plan to introduce at least 10 low-floor buses between Vaishali and Patna.

The buses are longer than the general buses for which much space is required to make a turn. With widening of roads, these low-floor buses will also be introduced in Patna and other cities of the state.

Earlier, BSRTC was running in deficit for a few years but the corporation is now planning a major makeover for all its services. There is also a plan for beautification of the campuses of BSRTC in almost all the cities of the state. For this, attractive and well-furnished passenger waiting room, mall and markets will be constructed that would also earn revenue for the BSRTC, Patel said. He made an appeal to the people to help maintain good condition of the buses for their own benefit.

A total of 20 buses will ply on six routes from the Gaya railway station to Bodhgaya via Zila School and Kendui (river side road), up to Magadh University via Cantonment Area Road, up to Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital (ANMMCH) via AP Colony, up to ANMMCH via Anugrah Memorial College and up to Pai Bigha via Makhdumpur. Besides, service between Gaya to Tekari and Manpur bus stand to Bodhgaya via Kendui will also be started, he said.

Like in Patna and Muzaffarpur, the city bus service has been started under public-private-partnership at Gaya too. Private agency Royal Service will operate 20 buses under the service in Gaya, said Gaya in-charge Jayant Kumar. In the first phase, eight buses including six for Bodhgaya via cantonment area route, and two buses for Tekari have started plying from today, while two buses for Sherghati are likely to start from September 19. By the end of September all the 20 buses will be available here, Jayant said.

Chaudhary said better communication facility is necessary for development and buses for other remote areas like Dumaria, Imamganj and Fatehpur should also be started.