• The existing city buses wait at most bus stops for more passengers.
• According to the letter, buses now take roughly 45 minutes to get from Dona Paula to Panaji’s Kadamba bus terminal, a distance that can be accomplished in 15 minutes. “
• A strict mandate has to be issued to bus operators to follow a no-wait policy.

Panaji: A problem that may be peculiar to Goa is buses operating at an extremely sluggish rate and making multiple long and sometimes unscheduled stops in order to pick up additional passengers, lengthening commuter travel time.

A group of Panaji residents has written to the state transport directorate requesting that GPS devices be installed on private buses operating in the city in order to follow their movements and take disciplinary action against them for noncompliance.

Read More: Volkswagen is looking to set up new electric vehicle & battery plants in US

“The existing city buses wait at most bus stops for more passengers. They also tend to drive slowly so that they get more passengers along the way. This strategy is proving to be counter-productive and is severely affecting the city,” the letter signed by Together For Panaji stated.
According to the letter, buses now take roughly 45 minutes to get from Dona Paula to Panaji’s Kadamba bus terminal, a distance that can be accomplished in 15 minutes. “At this speed, citizens find it totally inconvenient to use buses and prefer to use their personal vehicles. This has led to a massive increase in the number of vehicles entering the city, resulting in traffic congestion,” the letter reads.

Read More: Gary Payton partnered up with Hennessy & NBA for Uncomplete Business project

“A strict mandate has to be issued to bus operators to follow a no-wait policy. The bus should pick up the passengers waiting at the stop and move immediately. The bus operator will not lose any business in this process as the mandate will be uniform for all operators. On the contrary, more people will start using public transport resulting in increased business for the private buses,” the letter reads.
They also stated that the state and city governments must make every effort to promote public transportation and make it more convenient for citizens.

This letter will be quickly followed by an RTI asking for the government’s corrective actions.