The night bus parked outside the Darbhanga railway station. Telegraph picture

Kishanganj, May 26: Night bus service, launched recently by Darbhanga police, has now been emulated in Kishanganj.

Superintendent of police (SP), Kishanganj, Ranjit Kumar, said he was inspired after reading about the bus service in Darbhanga in The Telegraph report on May 19.

The bus would ferry passengers from Kishanganj railway station to different destinations of the town in four trips between 10pm and 4am. Starting from the station, the night buses would travel to eight destinations — Caltex Chowk, Gandhi Chowk, Phalpatti Chowk, Churipatti, Paschimpalli Chowk, Subhashpalli, Ruidhasha and Khagra.

Commuters to these destinations would be able to avail the service free of cost.

“Inspired by the report in The Telegraph, I thought of starting similar police buses for the people who alight at the station at night,” Ranjit said.

“The model was first applied in Sasaram town under community policing and it was successful. Vikas Vaibhav was the Sasaram SP then and I was the assistant superintendent of police,” he said. Night cops’ bus service will help in curtailing petty crimes at night such as snatching, road robbery and also keep a watch on rickshaw-pullers and auto-drivers who charge the commuters exorbitant fares at night, the SP added.

“The introduction of the night bus service by the police will give a sense of safety and security to the people. Passengers alighting at Kishanganj railway station at night would reach their homes safely and that too free of cost,” Mohammad Iqbal, a commuter, said.

Darbhanga senior superintendent of police Vikas Vaibhav told The Telegraph: “Night cops’ van service instil a sense of confidence among the commuters as it intends to build a good relation between the police and the people. This model must be replicated in every district headquarters with improvisations, according to the requirement of the place. Such initiatives will boost public confidence in the police.”

Vaibhav added that the night bus service has proved to be of help to the people of Darbhanga as the passengers at the railway station no longer have to wait till the morning for public transport.