VIJAYAWADA: Waiting for a bus under the hot sun has become a thing of the past for the commuters who board the APSRTC-run city buses at Siddhartha Mahila Kalasala bus stop, Mahatma Gandhi (MG) Road.
To provide respite to the commuters from the extreme weather, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) officials have developed Siddhartha Mahila Kalasala bus stop into an air-conditioned (AC) bus shelter.
The bus shelter has facilities such as Wifi, mobile charging points and washroom for passengers.
Under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, the bus shelter has been built on a pilot basis as a part of the Street Furniture Project initiated by the municipal corporation. A Vijayawada-based private advertising company came forward and spent around Rs 30 lakh for transforming the old bus shelter into an AC facility.
In a couple of days, the bus shelter is going to be inaugurated by Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) minister P Narayana and VMC commissioner J Nivas. “This is the first AC bus shelter in the State. The bus shelter will have washroom facilities, coffee vending machine, Wifi and mobile charging units,” said Vijayawada city planner A Lakshmana Rao.
Two ACs have been installed at the bus shelter and a security guard has been deployed to ensure the safety of women passengers. “We have taken care of everything while constructing the bus stop. Staff will be appointed to keep the premises clean as well,” Lakshmana Rao said. Rao also said that another 17 such bus shelters were identified in city to be transformed soon. “We have requested companies to come forward and be a part of the Street Furniture project of VMC,” he said.
Inspiration
VMC officials planned to bring AC bus shelter facility in the city, inspired by Tamil Nadu
A total of 18 bus shelters identified for it and one transformed on a pilot basis
The modern bus shelter will be inaugurated in a couple of days
The AC bus shelter also has an SoS button
Two security guards (two shifts) appointed
Bus shelter will be locked during nights for safety