Last week, while trawling thru the interwebz, I cam across a picture posted by transport journalist Rajendra Aklekar on Twitter of a bus operated by the Vasai Virar Municipal Transport (VVMT) undertaking. The photograph was originally clicked by Suraj Poojary.
Writing for Mid Day, Aklekar reports that VVMT has been off the roads due to issues with contractors. The Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation had said in November that they aimed to have at least 100 buses on the roads by December.
VVMT was launched in 2012 and part of its fleet is owned by the undertaking. The remainder of the fleet is outsourced to a contractor Bhagirathi Travels, much like how Surat City Bus and Atal Indore City Transport Services operate.
It was reported recently in the Marathi media that a subsidiary of Neeta Travels has signed up to take over services, but I’m unable to find a link as of now.
Vasai Virar has been suffering due to the acute lack of buses and railway services. While BEST and MSRTC extended their services to the satellite city as part of the state governments awkwardly named ‘Mission Begin Again’, the strain has been pretty heavy.
It’s sad to see a bus fall into such disuse, especially at a time when buses have been the lifeline of the city.
Featured Image: VVMT Shopping Mall by Suraj Poojary, all rights reserved.
