PANJIM: The citizens of Vasco and surrounding areas, especially those working or attending college in Panjim face a lot of hardship on their return journey, as the last shuttle leaves from the Kadamba Bus Terminal in between 7.20 pm and 7.30 p.m.
As Herald spoke to some of the commuters at the KTC bus stand in Panjim, it was revealed that the student community as well as the private working class people are unhappy over the early timing.
The have demanded a new bus on the Panjim – Vasco route and have mentioned that the last shuttle should at least depart at around 8.45 pm.
Office goers and students are not the only ones, but daily wage workers and vendors, all use the shuttle service as their primary mode of transport daily and prefer shuttle service over other buses as they save a lot of time.
“The last shuttle service is too early, as we only finish work by 6.30 p.m. and it becomes very difficult to the reach the KTC bus stand on time, thus resulting in missing the bus,” says Geeta Kavlekar.
“I often get late as I have to come all the way from the Goa Engineering College Farmagudi and later board the Panjim-Vasco shuttle, which becomes very hectic and sometimes resulting in missing the last bus,” said an engineering student
Some commuters, who use this bus service on a daily basis, told Herald that they prefer the shuttle over private buses as the latter consumes more time.Another commuter Raju Sirsat, who works for a private firm in Panjim feels the need for an extra shuttle and mentioned the last bus timing is too early and doesn’t suit the needs of the daily commuters.
“We are in a fast-paced world and it is the duty of the authorities to extend the bus services and timings for the benefit of the citizens and commuters, Goa being a tourist destination, they should focus on improving adequate transport,” said another daily commuter.
“Most of the private office goers face this difficulty in boarding the bus, as private companies don’t have fixed office timings like the Government employees,” says Vithal Chandra
The citizens stressed the need for computerised modern ticket vending machines, which will help save time.
Women commuters said, “We need a special shuttle bus for women, as the travel will be safe and hassle free.”
Viresh Kerkatta, a vendor, says it is almost impossible to catch the last shuttle even if we reach the bus stand at 7.15 pm as most buses are packed with passengers and stressed the need for an extra shuttle bus on the route.
According to the authorities, a minimum of 35 – 40 commuters are required on daily basis to start an extra service, which is barely impossible, as there are hardly any takers after the last bus, with just 7 -8 commuters.
