NOIDA NEWS : About 15 years ago, the city bus service was announced in Greater Noida West. However, to this day, not a single regular city bus has operated in this area. People in an area with a population of over 500,000 still rely on private vehicles, autos, and e-rickshaws for travel. Every year some plan or the other regarding the bus service is announced. But the ground situation remains unchanged. Now, once again, a new plan has emerged to run city buses in Greater Noida West, under which a proposal has been prepared to run e-buses on four routes in Greater Noida.
This plan has been designed keeping in mind the connectivity to Noida International Airport Jewar. The authority, with the help of UP Roadways, is talking about running around 15 to 20 e-buses in the first phase. Greater Noida Authority CEO N.G. Ravi Kumar stated that the first proposed route is from Char Murti Chowk in Greater Noida West, passing through the authority office, City Park, Alpha Commercial Belt, Pari Chowk, and reaching Noida International Airport.
The second route is from Gaurs City and neighboring societies, passing through 60 Meter Road, Hanuman Mandir Chowk. It is proposed to operate buses to the airport via Bisrakh, Surajpur Collectorate, LG Chowk, Jagat Farm, Yatharth Hospital, Apollo Hospital, and Gautam Buddha University. The plan for the third and fourth routes is to run buses to the airport via Chaproula Flyover, Makoda Roundabout, Beta 1, Beta 2, Jagat Farm, Sharda University, India Expo Mart, and Noida-Greater Noida Expressway.
But where is the bus stand?
Now the question is, in areas where not a single permanent city bus stand has been developed so far, how will buses operate? There is neither a bus terminal nor a charging station in place. Until now, a bus depot has also not been built. In such a situation, local people are skeptical about the announcement of a bus service. They say that simply deciding the bus route is not a solution. If arrangements for bus stops, parking, and maintenance are not made beforehand, this plan will remain limited like previous plans.
Earlier, there was a big announcement of 500 e-buses in Greater Noida West. But that plan could not move forward either. Now, there is talk of four routes and 20 buses. Local people say that when not a single city bus could run regularly in Greater Noida West in 15 years, it is becoming difficult to trust new announcements.
What residents of Greater Noida West say:
Sumit Gupta, a resident of Elegant Villa Society, said that he has been living in Greater Noida West since 2017. Since then, there has been a demand for public transport, but until now Greater Noida West, a proper public transport system has not been developed. They also say that the residents here have to rely on auto-rickshaws or their own vehicles for daily commuting.
Questions raised about the intention of the local authority
Deepankar Kumar, a resident of Panchsheel Green 2 Society, has been questioning this plan. According to him, it is a welcome step that the authority is planning a city bus scheme, but technically, it seems incomplete. According to Deepankar Kumar, there is a plan to operate buses on four routes from Pari Chowk. However, the number of buses is very limited. What will these selected buses do in Greater Noida West, which has a population of over 500,000? Is this really an attempt to provide relief, or is it an effort to pacify the ongoing protests regarding the metro?
Sumit Jalota, a resident of La Residential Society, says that the city has never been able to run a city bus service, while there is a lot of talk about running the metro. It seems like these talks are just empty promises. On the other hand, Abhishek Kumar, president of the organization Nephowa in Greater Noida West, says that starting a city bus service in Greater Noida West is a welcome initiative, but it is also the responsibility of the authority to implement it on the ground.
Four city buses were running before corona
He further said that before COVID-19, four city buses were in operation. Before yesterday, four city buses were running in Greater Noida West, but due to the reduced number and the arrival of COVID-19, they were stopped midway. Since then, not a single city bus has been able to run in Greater Noida West. The question now is whether city buses will actually run in Greater Noida West this time, or if, like every time, this issue will remain only on paper.