Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, May 25: Private service and city buses have decided to begin services in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts from June 1 onward. Initially, 50 percent of the buses will take to roads. At the same time, city buses in Udupi will provide a week's free service to passengers from May 25. The city bus operators association has decided to introduce buses in phases after June 1.
In normal course, 325 city buses leave for different destinations in Mangaluru everyday. About 150 buses among them will be pressed into service on June 1. A meeting of bus owners is being held in this connection on Wednesday, and a final decision will be arrived at here and made known to the public.
City Bus Operators Association president, Dilraj Alva, said that from June 1, 50 percent of city buses will be introduced. This affectively works out to four buses on an average in a singe route. He said that the bus owners are awaiting guidelines from the district administration about the operation of bus services.
In Udupi, city buses will begin to run from Monday May 25 onward and buses will play with a gap of 15 minutes. After Jun 1, both city and service buses will be introduced in phases, said City Bus Owners Association president and Canara Bis Owners Association general secretary, K Suresh Nayak. Deputy commissioner of Udupi district has already convened a meeting of bus owners and asked them to buses subject to stipulations set out by the government.
KSRTC Mangaluru division controller, Arun Kumar, said that Jawarlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) buses to Mudipu have already been introduced and decision about running of buses in other routes will be decided in a couple of days.
Deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district, Sindhu B Rupesh, stated that a meeting of regional transport office and bus owners will be held shortly to discuss the operation of private buses. She said that set of guidelines to be followed by drivers, conducts and passengers will be issued shortly.