Our Bureau
New Delhi
In an immensely populated country like India, public transport plays a very important role in the daily functioning of the nation. The Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India, Nitin Gadkari talked about the reforms that the ministry is looking to bring in the public transportation systems. He spoke about bringing revolution in the industry such as flying buses and ultra-modern electric buses, to ease traffic congestion.
The Flying Buses refer to the aerial pod-based transport systems, a form of Personal Rapid Transit (PRT). The Flying Bus system runs on elevated tracks through one of two ways: One by suspending from rails above, the other by riding on top of them. These are small automatic electric vehicles that can carry people such as SkyTran in US which runs using magnetic technology and can reach speeds of up to 240 kmph.
“We are working on connecting Dhaula Kuan to Manesar through a pod system in the air, as there is a lot of traffic on that route. We want to make public transport easier,” Mr. Gadkari said in an interview.
Mr. Gadkari in the interview also revealed that the government is also looking at a unique double-decker bus system to travel in hilly areas of Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir. These will be used to ensure safer travel from one mountain to another. The government has also announced a high-capacity electric bus project in Nagpur. These buses will also be equipped with fast charging technology.
“These are part of our efforts to make public transport more efficient and accessible. The Bus will have 135 seats, executive class seating, a TV in front, and a top speed of 120 kmph. The bus will stop every 40 km, passengers will get off and on within 30 seconds, and in that time, the bus will also get charged,” Mr. Gadkari said.
It is being reported that once the Nagpur model is completed successfully the government plans to take it forward in major travel routes like Delhi-Jaipur, Delhi-Chandigarh, Delhi-Dehradun, Bengaluru-Chennai, and Mumbai to Nashik and Pune.
