The public transport service system in Thimphu is expected to improve further as the City Bus Service will very soon receive 27 new buses. Along with the new buses, the office is also planning to introduce a new bus route system in the capital.
For now, there are about 32 city buses currently providing bus services in the capital. But this is not enough, says many commuters.
“The bus timing is not consistent. Right now we have to wait for quite some time for a bus but if they increase the number of buses it will be very convenient for us,” said Kalpana Pulami, a Thimphu resident.
“At present, there are times when there are too many people on the bus and sometimes we miss the bus. If they put more buses and bus stops, it will benefit us a lot,” added Pema, another resident.
However, these problems are expected to be resolved soon. The office will receive 27 additional buses by November and introduce a new bus route system covering all the areas in the capital.
The new system is expected to minimise the waiting time at various bus stops.
“We have a main trunk lane which starts from Babesa and goes up till Dechencholing. And then there will be subsidiary lanes that will feed in the trunk lane. Every 10 minutes, there will be a bus travelling in the trunk lane. Once we start the new route system, it will also take care of the traffic congestion,” said Pasang Tshering, the City Bus Service’s Operation & Maintenance Manager.
He added the new route has also been approved by the government. Likewise, the office is also conducting a survey regarding the location of the bus stops and the feasibility of constructing new ones and bus bays in the capital.
The ongoing survey is conducted by seven officials from the Thromde. The survey will consider the density of population in an area and allocate the needed resources accordingly.
Likewise, the city bus service also plans to introduce a Smart Card system for commuters as a pilot project.
“The new buses will be equipped with the smart card system. People can avail themselves of the card from any of our vendors and use it to travel on the bus. It will be very convenient and cashless. Depending on the distance they travelled, the fare will be deducted from the card,” said Pasang Tshering.
The new feature will also help the office to maintain accurate data in their system with the introduction of the smart card system.
“Records such as the number of commuters in a certain area and revenue collected in a certain period of time can be maintained through the use of the Smart Card. Which will eventually enable them to make future plans or revise the existing ones in a timely manner with ease,” he added.
As per the records from a study conducted by the World Bank in 2013, there are approximately 8,000 people using the city bus service daily in the capital.
Yeshi Dorji
