AC bus stop at KPHB to be inaugurated today

KPHB is all set to get its first air-conditioned modern bus stop that will also have free WiFi, cafeteria, toilets, mobile charging points and greenery.

The aggregation of five bus stops at Bhagyanagar Colony will have ticket counters, bus pass renewal counters and a control room. It is also equipped with CCTV camera, and will be inaugurated by minister K.T. Rama Rao on Thursday.

The grade 1 bus shelter is among the 826 bus stops that are coming up in the city. Built at a cost of about `1 crore, it is the largest shelter spanning 380 feet long and 18 feet wide.

Each of the five bus stops is equipped with two airconditioners.

The bus stop is made of glass and is equipped with a LED monitor which will display the details of buses.

Mr Mallikarjuna Rao, project head of bus shelters at Prakash Arts, said the Bhagyanagar Colony bus stop was the biggest and busiest bus bay with all amenities in the country.

He said, “This is first of its kind Grade1 bus stop with several provisions. Everything is taken care of including the seating. The benches cost around `36,000. Two security guards will be deployed round the clock.”. The bus stop is being constructed on build-operate-transfer basis.

Mr Rama Rao had inaugurated a Grade1 bus stop at Madhapur and the work for a similar structure at Khairatabad is in progress. Both of these bus stops are about 120 ft long, making the one at KPHB the largest.

Mr Mallikarjuna Rao added that they had a contract for 229 bus shelters, work on another 25 facilities was going on. Bus stops are being upgraded at Kukaktpally, Shilparamam, Indiranagar among others in Cyberabad.

A commuter, Mr Krishna, said, “With this new bus stop if all the buses stop at their designated places, traffic can be managed”.

The rush at the Bhagyanagar Colony bus stops increases during peak hours and especially during festival seasons with several private and public buses operating.

Student Sai Sravya said, “The provisions are exciting and AC will ease the wait, especially in afternoons.”