BRTS bus service launched in Ahmedabad

By ENN,
Ahmedabad: The thriving commercial city of Ahmedabad has introduced another civic facility for the people with the introduction of Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) bus service from today.

The phase one of the project covering 12.5 km from RTO Circle to Chandranagar will be formally inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi this evening.

For over a month, a trial run of buses on the BRTS route was being operated, with other vehicles being banned on selected BRTS corridors.

Initially, 24 low-floored buses with automated ticketing system would be plied on the BRTS route having 20 bus stops and more buses would be introduced as per requirement with the aim to ensure bus availability at every five minutes in peak hours, Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner I P Gautam said.

BRTS in Ahmedabad was launched with Central assistance under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) covering major Gujarat cities like Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) was already operating buses across the city under AMTS (Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service).

The Centre had already provided Rs 26.95 crore for phase one of BRTS, while the state's share was only Rs 11.55 crore, according to Congress leader Shaktsinh Gohil, adding the Centre would provide Rs 87.5 crore for the second phase.