THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:It took a long wait of over 45 minutes at the East Fort bus stop to board the e-bus. The seats were very comfortable with proper leg space. The bus started in a few minutes.
Driver E G Suresh welcomes passengers with a broad smile.
“I am used to driving such buses in Hyderabad. So it’s not a new experience. But, I am enjoying the way passengers respond to the ride. There was a passenger who boarded the bus in the morningto alight only at noon. He said it was the ambience inside the bus that made him stay so long. These buses can be a success in Kerala roads as they have undergone trials in Bangalore and Delhi traffic,” he adds.
A company official was present to explain and demonstrate the service. He began briefing about the GPS system to track the location of the bus before moving on to wifi facility, call facility in case of an emergency, important announcements if required to be made by the driver, CCTV cameras and automatic announcement of bus routes. The temperature inside the bus is controlled automatically by sensing the outside weather condition.
However, at the next stop, the automatic door closed on a man who tried to board the bus. But as the door touched him, it stopped automatically, much to his relief. The doors have a sensor that identifies objects coming between them and stop automatically. Within two stops, the bus was crowded with passengers.
“It’s a comfortable ride. There is no noise and the ticket charges are affordable too. I am a frequent traveller in low floor AC buses. But this is environment-friendly. We need more such buses in our city,” says Sateesh Kumar who was travelling to Pattom.
Conductor Suresh Kumar seems as excited as the passengers. “I double up as a guide as passengers come up with umpteen questions. Today, I saw the same people travelling in the bus thrice,” he says.
Everyone was amused when a buzzer sounded suddenly. Immediately, Suresh asked a passenger to move his hand from a red button which he had accidentally pressed. Only then did everyone notice a red button at the poles near every seat. It turns out to be the Nearest Stop Request (NSR) button. Once you reach your destination, you need not wait for the conductor. The passenger himself can give an indication to the driver.
Passengers were seen taking selfies and videos from the bus. Everyone had some query about the e-bus.
Passengers seem satisfied with the service. However, the most satisfying experience has to be the absence of noisy horns and pollution. The only noise inside was the excited chatter of the people.
And, as the tranquil bus journey got over, one thing was clear - the wait was worth it.