Mumbai: Vasai-Virar's yellow lifeline to resume soon

Before the pandemic, the daily ridership of these buses was more than one lakh. PICS/Akshay Marathe

The yellow buses of the Vasai-Virar Transport Service, shut for over eight months due to the lockdown, will be back on duty from December 2020. Moreover, due to issues with contractors, local residents had to depend on BEST and MSRTC.

"Things are now in place and work orders will be issued soon. We intend to run about 100 buses to start with on pre-designated routes and get the transport service going earliest by December 2020," Vasai Virar Municipal Commissioner Gangatharan Devarajan confirmed to mid-day.

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The transport service launched in October 2012 has a fleet of its own buses and the contractor comes in with his fleet to cover a total of 43 routes locally in the twin cities with about 180 daily trips. Before the pandemic, the daily ridership of these buses was more than a lakh passengers. The BEST and MSRTC have been catering to the needs of the city to some extent but are falling short and the resumption of the local transport service will help revive the old routes and be more dependable.

"It is good news that the bus services are finally beginning. Like other cities, the public transporter should also try and get a few mini and midi buses for quick routes and last-mile connectivity from railway stations to tackle the auto-rickshaw mafia around," a long-time Vasai resident Rajan Vyavahre said.

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Vasai-Virar Municipal officials said that after the launch in 2012, the service had progressed well and in 2018, the public transporter had worked out a proper timetable with routes, bus numbers, frequency and timings and now with the resumption of services, the first priority would be to start implementing the same.

"As per the original 2018 timetable, the plan was to run about 122 buses. Of these, 22 in Vasai east, 29 in Vasai west, 33 in Nallasopara and 38 in Virar east and west. Once the 100 buses start plying, the priority would be to revive this timetable as closely as possible for the larger benefit of commuters," officials added.

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