TMT to get 350 new buses this yr, to spread reach to the interiors

THANE: The Thane Municipal Transport (TMT) has promised to ply 350-plus new buses till Dec 2021 in a budget estimate of ₹458.13Cr for the fiscal year 2021-22 presented on Friday.

Apart from the promise of new buses, which will take the total number of buses in Thane city to 700, the budget has nothing new to offer this year. The TMT has also demanded hefty funds of ₹284.63Cr from the Thane civic body, TMC, showing losses in excess of ₹144Cr.

TMT has also planned to survey those routes in the interior areas of the city that at present has no service. Additional mini and midi buses will be added on these narrow routes.

Dnyaneshwar Dhere, transport manager, said, “We have planned to add 350 more buses till the end of this year. These include 200 buses from the funds allocated by the state and central government, 50 mini and midi buses and 100 electric buses from the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority. This will take the total number of buses in the city to 700 by early next year.”

Last year, the TMT demanded funds of ₹291.4Cr from TMC while this year, the demand is for 284.63Cr. Dhere said, “The year has been a tough one with the pandemic leading to losses as high as ₹80Cr. We also lost 14 of our employees to Covid while 175 were infected. We, however, have plans to raise the ridership this year.”

Though the TMT plans to acquire 100 new electric buses, the general body has given directives to cancel the contract of the electric bus contractor earlier this week. As TMC has got only one electric bus in three years, the members of the general body demanded action against the contractor.

TMT budget being presented in Thane on Friday.