Introducing courtesy and respectability as tools to woo passengers, the AP State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has deployed a bunch of young educated guides at Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) to assist passengers with information about bus timings and other relevant issues.
As part of the ongoing drive to smarten up the bus station with all the frills needed to attract people, the RTC authorities have transformed the premises, which was once smudged with grime, into a swanky place.
Ten MBA graduates trained for the job in Hyderabad have been appointed to cater to the information needs of the passengers.
“Besides enjoying the new facilities, we want the passengers to feel ‘valued’ here. These guides work in two shifts (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.). They fan out in the bus station and interact with all sections of people. The main focus, however, is on the Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam platforms,” said A. John Sukumar, Deputy Chief Traffic Manager of the Corporation.
“The guides have been recruited on contract for one year as an experiment and based on the public feedback, we will decide if it could be made a permanent feature,” said P. Rama Rao, Regional Manager.
The toilets at the bus station have already been modernised and construction of a two-screen mini theatre has started in the arrival block. Nearly 600 three-seater benches have replaced the old worn-out ones and 200 new fans have been installed. A new set of payphones using latest gadgets have also been installed. Among many other proposed changes, a video wall will soon adorn opposite the enquiry counter and the reservation counters will shift under the staircase.
The RTC recently constructed 6,500 square feet space for housing the offices of the Managing Director, Executive Directors and other senior officers at a cost of Rs. 98 lakh.
