PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
In an effort to advance clean transportation, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) has facilitated seven new city buses to enhance the aging fleet of buses in Dehradun, regional transport officer (Administration) Sandeep Saini said.
He said that during a meeting with the chief secretary in the past, directives were issued for clean mobility in transportation. As part of these directives, it was mandated that owners of older public transport vehicles upgrade to newer models. Specifically, this means that the owners of four Vikram vehicles can transition to one city bus, while current bus owners have the option to scrap their old buses in favour of the new ones, he said.
Saini said that the authorities concerned has allocated subsidies for individuals interested in this initiative. The subsidy amounts to a minimum of 15 lakh or 50 per cent of the vehicle’s cost. In light of this, RTO has introduced a new initiative in Dehradun. Currently, there are 160 city buses operating in Dehradun. Seven new city buses have recently been introduced to replace the older ones and an additional seven to eight buses are planned for the future. He added that out of the seven new city buses, one is in the final stage of subsidy approval after the verification of documents. As individuals submit their applications, the remaining new buses will also qualify for the subsidy over time.
Moreover, out of the seven new city buses that have been introduced, one to three have already begun operations, with the remaining buses set to start shortly as additional work is still in progress. Saini said that the number of city buses currently running is significant and these will be replaced with new ones as individuals are becoming more aware of this initiative and are applying accordingly.
He further said that the new city buses will feature several enhancements including GPS and CCTV cameras to improve the security of passengers on board. Additionally, the new buses will also be equipped with route display boards.
The primary goal of this initiative is to reduce pollution caused by old buses by replacing them with newer models, while also aiming to enhance the quality of public transport for the community, he said.
