For a change, bus commuters are smiling

NAGPUR: Commuters of city bus service run by Nagpur Municipal Corporation have plenty of woes. They complain about badly maintained buses, absence of proper schedule, overcrowding, and heat. Yet, on Thursday they had a reason to feel privileged. The two lakh bus commuters could smile as they saw two-wheeler and four wheeler owners fuming about petrol that now costs over Rs 81 per litre in city.
Bus commuters at Sitabuldi pick up and drop point on Amravati road and those on a bus to Godhani said, "We feel very fortunate to travel at cheap fares when others are worrying about petrol prices." They felt that with petrol at such a high, many two-wheel drivers, especially students, will shift to public transport soon. They told TOI that many times they had complained about damaged buses, broken windshields, missing seats and broken tail and head lamps etc to drivers and conductors but they were willing to adjust given how affordable and safe bus travel is.
Mayur Aajne, a resident of Takli, said, "till yesterday I was travelling with a friend on petrol sharing basis and took the bus only occasionally. However, now I have decided to shift to public transport totally. From Takli to Sitabuldi, city buses run every five to ten minutes. There is good frequency of buses for all destinations, so all my friends have decided to shift to buses from today onwards."
Vanita Watkar, who was travelling with daughter Aboli, said though they had a two wheeler, she still preferred to travel by bus to destinations like Sitabuldi and Hudkeshwar etc. "We have a direct bus service for various destinations from a bus stop near our home. It also saves money and ensures safe travel," she said.
Kailash Pannase, Atul Dharmare, Nikhil Rewatkar and Parag Belekar, all students of Priyadarshini Engineering College and residents of Zingabai Takli, said, "we came to Sitabuldi for shopping, so decided to travel by bus. Usually, we go by our two wheelers. Now, it will be difficult for us to bear the petrol cost, college and other expenses. So it will be better for all of us to either shift to petrol sharing or to bus."