Euro-style buses set to ply on Indore roads

Low floor air-conditioned buses with exquisite interiors, spacious aisles and sleek bodies ferrying people- well, this is not some foreign locale that is being talked about. Indore is gearing up to compete with European cities by introducing a fleet of luxury buses to transport people from their homes to workplace.

A joint management company, which will ply these luxury buses as key means of the city's public transport system, has just been formed. The company, under the name, Indore City Transport Services Ltd (ICTSL), has just been registered with the registrar of companies.

These buses include many amenities so as to ensure that the public transport system is not only successful, but also inspires people to leave their cars at home and board the buses, so as to lighten the traffic load on the roads.

The chairperson of ICTSL will be the mayor of the city, while the Indore Development Authority chairman will be the vice-chairman and the district collector will be its executive director.

The seven-member board of directors will include the municipal commissioner, the regional transport officer and two administrative officials, among others.

The company will commence operations with an initial capital of Rs 25 lakh. The bylaws of the company and other details are in the making. The district administration has contacted automobile designers of repute for the purpose.

"The buses will be of different sizes, but will have uniformity in shape, colour and interiors. These buses will be similar to those plying in Europe or the US. Apart from the bus model, we will also rope in experts to design its interiors," informed Chandramauli Shukla, the sub-divisional manager and project-in-charge.

Further on, Shukla added that the buses would have less seats and more standing capacity. A 56 -seater bus, for instance, would have just 20 seats, so as to accommodate sick, old people and women, while other commuters would be required to stand.

There are plans to introduce these public transport buses by December. But considering the fact that the buses will be designed to measure up to international standards, it will not be before March 2006 that the initial fleet of 20-odd buses will be pressed into service.

ICTSL is expected to hold its first meeting shortly to decide the modalities such as cost economy, bus stands, ticket vending, drivers' uniform and other issues. Inputs from the survey conducted by a New Delhi firm in 2003 on the city's transport system will be taken into consideration.