[sustran] Smart cards for Shillong Public Transport Service (SPTS) buses from next month

[Vinay Baindur]

http://meghalayatimes.info/index.php/front-page/21102-smart-cards-for-spts-buses-from-next-month

Smart cards for SPTS buses from next month

Written by Meghalaya Times. Posted in Front
Page<http://meghalayatimes.info/index.php/front-page>

*Staff Reporter*
*SHILLONG, Aug 06:* Finally, the public transport buses in Shillong would
be getting the much awaited smart card, where a passenger can buy the cards
from designated counters, instead of buying tickets onboard the buses.
The Shillong Public Transport Service (SPTS) has been the saving grace for
the public, otherwise harrowed by overzealous local taxis. After the
introduction of the service there has been a lot of relief amongst the
public and also helped, to an extent, in reducing traffic on the road.


Although the decision to introduce smart card was on the list of the urban
affairs department long time back, however, the decision could not be
implemented for unknown reasons.
Principal Secretary to Urban Affairs department, Prashant Naik, Tuesday
informed that in a month’s time the smart card would be made available to
the public. The card would be used simultaneously with the tickets issued
by conductors and in the process would streamline the collection immensely.
The smart card would be swiped by the conductors on the ticket collecting
machines and the exact prices for the journey would be deducted, in the
same way a debit or a credit card works.
The cards would help do away with the frequent complaints of passengers
that conductors do not issue ticket or overcharge the fare or not handing
out changes.
Apart from the card, the conductors would be wearing uniforms and also wear
a name tag. “Wearing of uniforms and name tags would be made mandatory
amongst the conductors,” Naik stated.
Currently, about 100 buses ply on the streets of the State capital;
additionally there are 30 special transport vehicles. Moreover, there are
130 odd maxi taxis that are also being operated by the urban affairs
department.
The urban affairs department said that more buses would be pressed into
service under the second phase of the allotment under the Jawaharlal Nehru
National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
Naik said once the second batch is allotted to the State, the buses would
be pressed into service uniformly around the city. Currently, there is a
discrepancy in the frequency of buses approaching bus stands.
In some parts of the city, the frequency of a bus arriving to a bus stand
is about two minutes, whereas in other parts the frequency is ten or even
twenty minutes.
“We would try to rationalize so that buses are distributed evenly through
all routes,” he added.
The Principal Secretary also informed that the urban affairs department has
taken 50 buses from Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC), out of which
just 21 were “road worthy”. “The rest are being repaired and being put into
service slowly to boost the public transport system,” he said.
He further said that the public transport system is being operated on a
sustainable revenue model, wherein the profit margin is low and the benefit
is shared by the Government and the public equally in the form of
subsidized fare.