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Bihar News: Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary’s government has taken another big step towards making public transport in Bihar accessible and comfortable for every section of the society. After successfully operating the pink bus service for women, now the state transport department is going to start a special bus service for the disabled and the elderly. Under this new scheme, very modern and convenient buses are being purchased, so that physically disabled people and senior citizens can get rid of the huge problems they face during travel forever.

Huge budget is being spent

A huge budget is being spent on this scheme. The Transport Department is purchasing 14 CNG based low-floor buses at a cost of Rs 6 crore 70 lakh for this special service. These buses will not only be environment friendly but will also have strong security arrangements. In the initial phase, all these buses will be operated in the capital Patna and its surrounding areas. After the success and feedback of this service in Patna, there are plans to implement it in other big cities of the state also.

Ramps and special facilities for wheelchairs

These special buses have been designed in such a way that disabled passengers do not need anyone’s support. Due to the high stairs in normal buses, passengers in wheelchairs or elderly people suffering from knee pain face great difficulty in climbing up. Keeping this in mind, modern ramps are being installed in place of stairs in these new buses. With the help of this ramp, passengers using wheelchairs will be able to move inside the bus very easily.

Digital audio alert system will also be there

Along with this, a separately designated space has been created inside the bus to park the wheelchair safely. For the convenience of the elderly, the height of the seats has been kept very low so that they do not face difficulty in sitting and getting up. To maintain balance during the journey, strong handrails have been installed at various places. Additionally, there will also be a digital audio alert system installed inside the bus, which will announce the upcoming bus stop so that visually impaired or other passengers can get accurate information about their destination.

23 lakh disabled people of Bihar will get benefits

Talking about statistics, at present the total number of disabled people in Bihar is more than 23 lakh. Creating a respectable and safe transportation system for such a large population has been a big challenge for the government. However, seats are still reserved for the disabled in the normal buses of Bihar State Road Transport Corporation, but in practice the design of the normal buses does not suit them. Due to crowd and high stairs, they have to face mental and physical torture while travelling. In such a situation, this new low-floor bus service will prove to be no less than a boon for them.

Service may start in the next four months

According to information received from senior officials of the Transport Corporation, the process of purchasing these 14 buses has been expedited. The buses have already been ordered through the authorized GeM portal for government procurement. It is expected that the corporation will get delivery of all these buses within the next four months. As soon as the buses reach Patna, their routes and fares will be finalized. The department is trying to keep the fare very affordable so that poor and middle class people can also take full advantage of it.

Will expand to other districts of Bihar also

After successful operation in Patna, the transport department will expand this service to other districts and major routes of Bihar in a phased manner. This sensitive initiative of the Transport Department is being considered as a very big and important step towards social concern, due to which even the weakest section of the society will get the right to travel with dignity along with the mainstream.