Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Smart City Bus Service Records Huge Passenger Load In Day

The city commuters faced severe inconvenience due to the sudden call for a strike by the auto-rickshaw drivers on Wednesday. All the rickshaws in the city were at a standstill, and students and professionals going to colleges, schools, and workplaces had to make strenuous efforts to reach their destinations.

The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) Smart City Bus Service proved to be a boon for daily commuters. The administration ran additional buses on various routes, yet passengers faced severe inconvenience, and bus stops were crowded all over. There was double the passenger load on the city bus service on Wednesday compared to usual days.

In the morning shift, buses covered a route of 11,944 kms with 514 trips, carrying 35,599 passengers and earning a revenue of Rs 10,07,109.

More than 75,000 passengers took advantage of the Smart City Mazi Bus Service on Wednesday, compared to around 30,000 passengers on routine days, said City Bus Department Chief Traffic Manager Sanjay Supekar.

The entire smart city bus service department took care of the convenience of passengers under the guidance of Municipal Commissioner G Srikanth. Efforts were made to ensure that buses ran frequently on all routes to meet the increased passenger demand, Supekar said.

Various organizations of auto-rickshaw drivers and owners called for a one-day strike to press various demands on Wednesday. After the strike by tanker and truck drivers, auto-rickshaw drivers and owners called for a strike on Wednesday, causing passengers severe inconvenience. People were seen walking from place to place in search of a rickshaw. Pedestrians filled the roads at the Railway Station, Mahavir Chowk, Harsul, Waluj, Bus Stand, and other areas. The agitators had initiated a hunger strike at the Divisional Commissionerate from January 8 to press their demands. They demanded that the meeting of the Road Transport Authority, which had not been held for the past one and a half years, should be called immediately to resolve the problems of the rickshaw drivers. The agitators resolved to continue the strike until their demands were met.