Kolkata, June 9 -- The state transport department plans to deploy 30 additional AC buses on existing routes after passenger numbers rose following the introduction of free travel for women on state-run buses, officials said.

The buses are likely to be deployed on seven to eight routes where demand has increased, particularly on AC services. Among the routes expected to receive additional buses are V1 (Airport-Tollygunge), EB3 (Tollygunge-Ecospace), AC39 (Airport-Howrah Station), AC47 (Kudghat-Shapoorji) and AC37A (Airport-Garia).

Officials said assessments carried out after the launch of the free travel scheme showed increased passenger loads on several AC routes. The additional buses are intended to ease crowding and improve service frequency on routes witnessing higher demand.

The department has also received complaints that some drivers and conductors are not stopping for women passengers waiting at bus stops. State transport corporations have been asked to examine the complaints and take action where necessary.

The free travel scheme has also led to confusion among some commuters over which buses are covered by the facility. According to officials, some passengers have mistaken buses bearing abbreviations similar to those of state transport corporations for eligible services. In some instances, buses displaying markings such as "NBSTG" were reportedly confused with NBSTC services, while buses carrying "WBSTC" markings were also assumed by some commuters to offer free travel, only for passengers to discover that fares were payable.

Transport corporations have also reported issues with unused reservations under the scheme. Officials said some women passengers reserve seats on long-distance services but neither undertake the journey nor cancel their bookings, leaving seats vacant despite demand from other passengers.

"We have noticed instances where seats reserved by women passengers remain vacant because the passengers do not undertake the journey or cancel their bookings. This affects seat utilisation and prevents other passengers from accessing those seats," an NBSTC official said. "We are monitoring the issue and examining possible corrective measures."

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.