Noida: Noida Authority is set to develop bus stands at various locations across the city to strengthen public transport infrastructure. It has floated tenders to complete the work within six months.Bus stops from the Botanical Garden bus stand through Gaur Chowk and Ek Murti in Greater Noida West; Noida International Airport; Sector 62; Surajpur Collectorate and Anand Vihar in Delhi will be developed. These routes recorded a ridership of 1.5 lakh passengers in July peaking to 3.4 lakh in Aug. The details of Sept and Oct data have not been compiled.In 2016, Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) launched feeder bus services on 11 routes connecting Noida, Greater Noida and Greater Noida West. The services were suspended following the Covid-19 outbreak in March 2020 and formally discontinued in December that year. Low ridership is believed to have contributed to the losses incurred by NMRC.After a gap of six years, the state govt launched electric city bus services in Noida, Greater Noida and the Yamuna area in June this year, coinciding with the start of commercial operations at Noida International Airport. Initially, 45 electric buses were flagged off, with the fleet subsequently increased to 100.Noida Authority officials said the contractor would repair or reconstruct components of existing stands and build new ones along bus routes. “They will be responsible for arranging construction materials, equipment and labour, as well as conducting quality tests,” an official said.Mohit Kumar, a Sector 37 resident, said the lack of designated bus stops made it difficult for commuters to access bus service. “The bus stands will improve also help increase ridership,” he added.Separately, Noida Authority has floated another tender to maintain the bus depot in Sector 90, which has a charging station and houses the electric bus fleet. The selected agency will provide staff, tools and equipment for cleaning and maintaining the depot. The facility previously housed an NMRC-operated city bus service.Last week, it signed an MoU with ITI Ltd to set up electric vehicle charging stations at 48 locations across the city. It plans to install 100 such stations to promote green mobility and curb pollution.
