Going by the number of smart card users in the capital, more people are choosing to travel by city bus. The number of smart card users grew from 18,000 in July last year to 29,000 by mid-September this year. Efforts are underway to make the public transport system even more efficient and user-friendly for commuters.
The City Bus Service now reaches almost every nook and corner in the capital, making public transport more accessible and convenient for everyone.
“Due to limited parking space, many private vehicle owners choose to travel by city bus. The seats are comfortable and the bus fare is reasonable too,” said Kado Drukpa, a passenger.
“Travelling by city bus is better and more reasonable compared to a taxi. Even for longer distances, travelling via bus is better,” said Wangmo, another passenger.
“For town routes, city buses travel every eight minutes. On sub-ways like Lungtenphu and Motithang, buses travel at 15-minute intervals,” said Ugyen Lhaden, a bus driver.
By the end of this year, the City Bus Service plans to integrate the Fleet Management System with the Gakyid Ride app, allowing commuters to check bus arrival times and reduce waiting times.
Earlier this year, the City Bus Service introduced a Fleet Management System which helps bus operators monitor the real-time location of buses and alerts them on issues like over-speeding.
A proposal has also been submitted to add another 15 to 20 electric buses to the fleet for smooth traffic flow.
Additionally, the City Bus Service is also working to integrate smart card recharges with banking apps for greater convenience. Currently, there are 13 smart card recharge centres across the city.
Meanwhile, some passengers suggested that buses should adhere to their capacity limits more strictly.
For instance, a bus may have 28 seats and allow 20 standing passengers. However, during rush hours, buses often become overcrowded.
“Sometimes buses arrive at the same time but sometimes they don’t. At times, many passengers get on the bus and while waiting for them to get in, we get late for our work,” said Tshering Denkar, a passenger.
Currently, there are 55 city buses in the capital, including one electric bus.
Tashi Chezom
Edited by Sonam Pem
