The public transport department attached to the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) actively participated in various events held to commemorate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav marking India's 75th anniversary of Independence. However, the chain of eight buses (top painted with the tricolour) used to form the numerical figure '75' became the centre of attraction at the bust depot in Kashimira where a drone camera captured and beamed the images.
Notably, MBMC Mayor Jyotsna Hasnale, Commissioner Dilip Dhole and other senior officials travelled in these buses to reach various venues in Mira-Bhayandar on August 15. “The ridership of our public transport buses has recently crossed the 75,000 mark and the figures are rising. As of now 70 out of the 74 buses are plying on 18 designated routes as services gradually reach out to more parts within and out of the Mira-Bhayandar region,” said administrative officer Dinesh Kangurde.
After terminating the contract with the regular service provider, the civic administration, as a stop-gap arrangement, appointed another private contractual agency for operating its bus fleet on a Net Cost Contract (NCC) model. This is supported by viability gap funding (VGF) – designed to provide capital support to public-private partnership (PPP) projects which would not otherwise be financially viable – to enhance the service network.
