Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has launched its ultra modern air-conditioned Shiv Shahi buses on Thursday. In addition, it also announced that for the first time in its history, it has received application from 450 women drivers and conductors.
Facing stiff competition from private buses, MSRTC has decided to hire two 45 seater buses and ply them inter-city. “The buses have host of amenities from reclining comfortable chairs, to charging facility for mobile and laptops to CCTV camera and even screen for every passenger. We are also planning to provide WiFi services soon,” said a senior MSRTC official. He said the reason for hiring buses on contract was to avoid the huge operating cost.
According to officials, there is a plan to launch 1000 such buses by Diwali. “These buses are targeted towards those passengers who don’t want to travel by the ordinary buses but also find the high end buses expensive. We are sure a lot of passengers would prefer travelling in these Shiv Shahi buses,” another official said.
MSRTC is one of the biggest public transport undertakings in India with around 19,000 vehicles.
