Minister for Social Justice and Panchayats M.K. Muneer on Saturday inaugurated the Unique Numbering System in buses in Kozhikode. Dr. Muneer flagged off the first numbered bus. He announced that all buses in the district would have numbers by November 1, which is ‘Keralappiravi Day.’
District Collector N. Prashanth, who presided over the inaugural function, said a good public transport system was a sign of a city’s development. It should be so efficient that even people who are used to their own vehicles would be tempted to use public transport. Information boards were distributed to bus owners on the occasion. Commuters were given travel guide.
Migrant labourers, numbering about 50,000, mainly from West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha, would benefit most from the system, which has been implemented successfully in most cosmopolitan cities.
Tourists will also find the system beneficial.
Besides, the elderly who find it difficult to read the boards will find it easier now as the numbers are bold and bigger than the usual inscriptions on bus boards.
The number will be preceded by ‘K’, code for Kozhikode written in white on a red circle, so that it is visible from far. The bus numbers and routes will be exhibited in charts at every bus stop.
The system has been introduced following long-standing demand of the residents’ associations in the district.
