HUBBALLI: Although the rolling out of the Hubballi-Dharwad Bus Rapid Transit System (HDBRTS) eased, to some extent, congestion woes in the twin cities, regular bus commuters often complained of the hassles involved in having separate bus passes or having to buy far too many tickets while flitting between BRTS and North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) city feeder services. But the wait for ards, which will save passengers the trouble of procuring different passes or buying tickets each time they switch buses, is set to be over come January 15.
BRTS officials said that there were plans to install at all the terminals an electronic ticket dispensing machines that the passengers could use to purchase smart cards. “As of now, BRTS is issuing smart cards to its passengers, and NWKRTC will soon issue another card. Passengers can have these cards and use both services without worrying about buying tickets. This will also help passengers avail of the discount. BRTS has completed calculations on the discounted fares for the smart card,” said officials.
NWKRTC managing director Krishna Bajpai told TOI that they were expediting the process for integration of both BRTS and city bus services. “Commuters will be encouraged to use smart cards. Most passengers who have opted for smart cards are pleased with it. The number of smart cards dispensed to passengers as reported by some sections of the media is incorrect,” Bajpai said.
He added that commuters would be educated on the benefits of opting for the smart card. “We have already identified 10 routes wherein the smart card can be used. Based on the response from the public, we will extend it to other routes. We have more plans to make both BRTS and the city bus services more passenger-friendly, details of which will be revealed later,” Bajpai said.
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