The newly introduced city bus service under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission (JNNURM) scheme is gaining popularity among RTC commuters in the town and the adjoining villages.
The residents of Karimnagar, who starved for public transport system and harassed by auto-rickshaw drivers, heaved a sigh of relief with the introduction of city bus service nine days ago. Initially, there were only a few takers for the city bus services following Sankranti vacation.
However, the occupancy ratio increased in city buses from Monday onwards with the Sankranti holidays getting over. Students and general public prefer to travel in city buses than taking auto-rickshaws for several reasons.
Srinivas, a resident of Kothapalli village on the outskirts of Karimnagar who works in a private firm, says he was comfortable travelling in city buses at lesser fare when compared to auto-rickshaws. “There is safety travelling in city buses instead of the overloaded autos risking our lives,” he noted.
Specially, women feel happy travelling in city buses. Vajramma, a resident of Ramnagar, said women feel secure travelling in city buses.
The city buses do not wait for long hours at bus stations for passengers unlike the auto-rickshaws which help reduce the travel time, she added.
Sources at the RTC said the occupancy ratio (OR) increased considerably from 30 per cent initially to 65 per cent on Tuesday.
