Haryana transport to have computerised ticketing

Chandigarh, May 9 (UNI) The Haryana Transport Department plans to introduce computerised hand-held ticketing machines in State Roadways buses and to begin with these machines are being introduced in Volvo Air Conditioned and some deluxe buses.

Haryana Transport Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala today said a beginning has been and the Chandigarh depot has been entrusted to Haryana State Electronics Development Corporation Limited.

The software to be developed for the purpose will be replicated in six more depots Ambala, Panipat, Yamunanagar, Delhi, Hisar and Gurgaon, in the next couple of months and all other depots would be covered under this scheme during year 2006-07.

He said the government would also buy a total of 3000 buses in the next five years to replace its old fleet. It had already purchased 559 buses during the last fiscal year and during the current financial year, 150 CNG buses have already been purchased and 350 more buses would be added to the fleet.

He said that all old deluxe buses would be withdrawn and these would be plied as ordinary buses. Haryana Roadways would make it a benchmark for the future by not keeping any seven year old bus in its fleet, he added.

Mr Surjewala said the department has taken up repair and renovation of all bus stands on a priority basis for which it had spent Rs 10 crore during 2005-06 and an equal amount had been earmarked for the current financial year. A sum of Rs 20 lakh would be spent for each bus stand, he added.

The minister said that the government has also launched an ambitious plan to install perforated steel chairs at all bus stands during the current financial year. A tender for 4000 such chairs has already been awarded to Khadi Gramudyog Board and Consumers Cooperative Stores.

He said due to preventive measures the 'rate of accident' during the last fiscal year involving roadways buses had come down to 0.08 per one lakh km. Efforts were being made to bring it down further, he added.

He said that by improving workshop efficiency, the rate of breakdowns per 10,000 kilometers had further come down to 0.07 during the year 2005-06. The punctuality of buses was also being improved.

The minister said the stopping of buses at unauthorised dabhas had been prohibited and the buses now stop either at Haryana Tourism Complexes or bus stands of Haryana Roadways for refreshments.

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