Ahmedabad to get 300 new CNG buses as demand for public transport rises

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Ahmedabad to get 300 new CNG buses as demand for public transport rises

The decision was taken during the meeting of Standing Committee on Thursday.

The city will get about 300 new CNG buses to cater to increased demand for public transport, said sources in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). The decision was taken during the meeting of Standing Committee on Thursday.

The move is expected to meet the increase in demand of public transport after the traffic department of city police began a crackdown on vehicles following the recent amendments in the Motor Vehicle Act, which has resulted in hefty fines for vehicle owners.

“We will get about 300 new CNG buses. Soon tenders will be floated for it. These will ply on routes of Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS),” said Amul Bhatt, Chairman of Standing Committee of AMC.

The purchase of 300 CNG busses is expected to give a boost to AMTS service, which has been a victim of neglect by AMC in recent years, especially after the rollout of Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) in 2009. Poor maintenance and involvement of private operators have resulted in masses shying away from the service, which was once a lifeline of the city.

Bhatt said that the decision was taken because there has been a spurt in the usage of public transport following the enforcement of rules of amended Motor Vehicles Act, although he failed to give the details of the rise in the users of public transport in the city.

It is also expected that with the crackdown likely to be more severe, users will shun their private vehicles and start using public transport service. The additional buses are being ordered to cater to this scenario.

Recently, AMC had inducted 50 electric buses into its fleet on the BRTS route. It has ordered a total of 300 electric buses for the route. The move is a part of the initiative to promote the use of electric vehicles to reduce the pollution caused because of vehicles running on fossil fuel.

https://www.dnaindia.com/ahmedabad/report-ahmedabad-to-get-300-new-cng-buses-as-demand-for-public-transport-rises-2792706

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