The people visiting the Beach Road were in for a pleasant surprise on Friday to see over a dozen of APSRTC buses with thematic paintings such as the scenes from the Telugu classics ‘Maya Bazaar’, Dhimsa dance and beauty of the sea near Kailasagiri.
The exteriors of the buses were decked up with the new sheets exhibiting the paintings. The interiors were also refurbished to ensure better comfort of the passengers.
APSRTC Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Madireddy Pratap, who is also the Commissioner of Public Transport, launched the refurbished buses here. He went to the RTC Waltair Depot and interacted with the drivers and conductors.
“The RTC spends about ₹15,000 on refurbishing the old buses and by putting in ₹2,000 more per bus, we have decked up the exteriors. The aim is to encourage more commuters, especially tourists, to use public transport,” Mr. Pratap told the media after launching the refurbished buses.
He felt that the buses would generate tourists’ interest in the rich traditions and culture of the local region.
Local artistes roped in
Artistes were roped in to paint the buses on local themes, apart from the paintings of legendary artistes Bapu and Raja Ravi Varma. “The young artistes have a lot of creativity and we decided to involve them in this initiative. The paintings made by children which won prizes in the The Hindu Young World Painting Competitions will be used to paint the buses. Due credit will be given to the student and the school they represent” he said.
With the proposal of setting up Executive capital in Visakhapatnam, the demand for public transport would increase further.
Night services
“Public transport should be made available in every half-a-kilometre. Plans are also afoot to introduce late night bus services in Visakhapatnam, apart from the services connecting to other districts in the State,” added Mr. Pratap.
