Passengers travel in one of the new buses in Patna on Monday. Picture by Jai Prakash

Patna, May 16: Overwhelming enthusiasm, confusion over stoppages and lack of civic sense among a section of passengers marked the “rusty” debut of the swanky city buses.

In the absence of route charts, the drivers were confused. They stopped here, there, everywhere, triggering traffic jams. A few passengers occupied seats reserved for women, senior citizens and physically challenged persons. Elderly people and women travelled standing — a strict no-no according to the service provider’s promise.

Yet, most of the commuters lauded the initiative. They are ready to give the bus service some more time to settle down.

Most of the buses were packed although the service provider — Calcutta-based Eden Transport — had claimed standing was prohibited in their 70 Tata Marcopolo hi-tech buses. Each bus has 32 seats. Six seats are reserved for ladies, two for senior citizens and two for physically challenged persons.

But there was “no reservation” today. Male passengers occupied ladies seats till admonished.

Rita Sinha, a teacher of Mount Carmel High School, while travelling in a blue bus on route number 2, said: “We were eagerly waiting for these buses. These are comfortable. But it must be ensured that women do not have to strive every time to get designated seats.”

Some senior citizens, clueless about seats reserved for them, travelled standing. ohammad Zamaal, an elderly person travelling in a green bus on route number 3, said: “The new bus service is a good effort by the government but the shoving and pushing inside the new buses is same as in the private buses. Although there is a gate man and a conductor in the bus, neither of them told me about the seats reserved for the senior citizens.”

The bus service staff should get the benefit of doubt on the opening day of the service as most of them are from Calcutta. Most of the drivers were not acquainted with the roads in the city. In the absence of the route stoppage chart, they stopped buses whenever any passenger insisted on getting off and wherever commuters raised hand to board the buses.

“I am from Calcutta and today is my first day on Danapur-Digha-Kurjee- Gandhi Maidan route (3). I hardly know about the stoppages,” Saurav Mishra, a driver of a bus on route number 3, said.

Conductors also had a tough day out. “Many passengers fought over fare. They argued autorickshaws charge less. At times, it was difficult for us to explain them that we are bound to charge minimum Rs 5,” said Neel Kamal Ranjan, a conductor.

Shashi Bhushan Rai, the in-charge of the bus service provider Eden Transport, said: “Rs 5 is the minimum fare. The next slabs are Rs 6, 7, 8 and 10.”

Shobha, a passenger travelling in a green bus of route 3, said: “Has this bus service been started to make us, the girls, travel standing? Earlier, we were giving Rs 6 as autorickshaw fare. Now, we are paying Rs 8 for the same distance but we are not even getting a seat.”

Rai, in his defence, said: “Occupying ladies seats and overcrowding the buses are matter of civic sense.”