Jamshedpur: The new town bus terminus in Sakchi will begin operations from Thursday, ending a period of uncertainty that plagued a Rs 6-crore project meant to streamline public transport in the steel city.
The fleet of buses will soon be equipped with GPS systems and a proposed app will allow passengers to track them.
East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Amit Kumar, along with deputy development commissioner Suraj Kumar, had inspected the nearly 2.5-acre facility in front of Jama Masjid on Tuesday and given the go-ahead for a formal launch.
Shikshit Berozgar Mini Bus Association, roped in for operation and maintenance, said they had tidied up the bus bays and the fleet would roll in by Wednesday night. "As many as 120 buses will ply on their 11 specified routes from the terminus from Thursday," said Sanjay Pandey, secretary of the association, adding that the daily passenger footfall was expected to cross 50,000.
Deputy development commissioner Suraj Kumar said Tata Steel had promised to engage an agency to fit every town bus with GPS within a week. "The company has borne the expenses of the facility and will arrange for both GPS devices and CCTV cameras for surveillance. The cost of the vehicle-tracking system and cameras will, however, be borne by the bus association," he added.
Besides offering real-time locations of running buses, the GPS tracker will also send data about speed and alert the terminus if any vehicle deviates from its specified route. "In short, passenger convenience and safety will be enhanced. A display board will inform passengers about their current location and the ETA (estimated time of arrival)," said Pandey.
The GPS tracker will further alert the control room in case of emergencies and exigencies such as roadblocks, traffic congestion and even fire. "The driver will press a button and the sensor will pass the information to the control room during any such situation," Pandey added.
Tata Steel subsidiary Jusco is planning to develop the mobile app to provide live bus timings, along with fares and routes. "We have had talks with bus operators and will develop an app to help people plan their daily travel in an efficient manner. We expect it to be ready in a few months' time," said Ashish Mathur, managing director, Jusco.
Construction of the bus terminus had begun in May last year and the project was scheduled for completion in September-October, but got delayed because Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee was not satisfied with the setback area from Sakchi-Bistupur road.
The new terminus has an entry and an exit near Jama Masjid and a second exit that opens on Kalimati Road. It boasts an office for bus operators, three drinking water kiosks, four CCTV cameras and five toilets (three for women) and three urinals.
Commuters are excited. "The new terminus is almost double the size of the existing one (near Sakchi roundabout). It has toilets, sheds and seating arrangements. The place is line with Palm trees and flaunts manicured lawns. The GPS will be a bonus," said Poonam Kumari, an intermediate student of The Graduate School College for Women, Sakchi, and a resident of Mango.
