TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: If everything goes well, around 1500 private buses in Goa might soon wear a uni-colour look, as the bus lobbies in-principle have agreed with the State government’s proposal, a move that is pending since 2011.
Erstwhile Congress govt as part of streamlining private bus service in the state had offered that all the private buses with All Goa Permits should have a similar colour. The proposal was objected by AGPBOA, claiming that passengers identify their buses based on colour.
However, after almost two years, the BJP-led government has once again come up with the proposal along with providing benefit of display of advertisements on private buses, similar to that of KTC buses. The proposal would be now put before the State Transport Authority for its nod.
In the recently held meeting with the Transport Minister Ramakrishna Dhavalikar, the Goa Route Bus Owners Association and the Goa State Private Bus Owners Association, have in-principle approved to the proposal.
Transport Director Arun Desai said that the private bus owners demanded that they should be allowed to display ads on their buses.
“The government agreed to the demand with a rider that the buses should have common colour,” he said.
Desai said that the association members have been asked to propose any three colours for their buses. A detail proposal on the same has been sought from the bus owners, he said.
“Goans can read the name plates,” he said.
The bus owners demand to let them advertise on their vehicles has been pending with STA since long. They claimed that the money earned from ads can help operators take care of financial liabilities like various taxes to be paid to the government.
