Mumbai, March 25 The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has reintroduced 3x2 seating buses into its fleet after nearly two decades, officials said.
The buses have a 3x2 seating configuration with a total capacity of 56 seats, higher than conventional models, aimed at improving passenger comfort and efficiency, they said.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched the 'Rajmata Jijau' smart bus service with the facility at the state legislature complex here on Tuesday.
Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, state Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, and other officials were present, the state-owned corporation said in a release.
Fadnavis, along with his two deputies and other dignitaries, also took a brief ride in the newly launched bus, which was decorated with flowers and garlands.
Nearly 3,000 'Rajmata Jijau' buses with a 3x2 seating arrangement will be inducted in phases, significantly strengthening public transport services across Maharashtra, the release said.
The new buses are equipped with modern passenger amenities and safety features, including CCTV cameras, GPS tracking, panic buttons, public announcement systems and electronic destination boards, it said.
The corporation had phased out 3x2 buses around 20 years back, replacing them with 2x2 'Parivartan' buses as part of fleet modernisation, according to MSRTC officials.
As the 2x2 buses were more spacious and comfortable, they became popular among passengers. While this seating arrangement provided comfort, especially on urban routes, with features like hand rests, a wider gangway, etc, passengers on crowded rural or semi-urban routes were dissatisfied.
The new 3x2 arrangement service is expected to primarily operate as a shuttle on high-density intercity routes, helping reduce travel time and ease congestion on busy corridors. The first batch of 50 buses will be deployed in Nagpur to commence operations, the release said.
The naming of the service after Jijabai is intended as a tribute to the historical figure regarded as a key inspiration behind Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the concept of Hindavi Swarajya, it added.