Nagpur: City police chief Amitesh Kumar has summoned private bus operators to highlight certain areas of concern before the Diwali vacations, report Soumitra Bose & Proshun Chakraborty.The nuisance of haphazard parking due to increased movement of buses from the city will also be discussed.The Regional Transport Office (RTO) personnel and city police traffic wing will be present during the meet.With trains running packed, and reservations almost impossible despite additional Diwali special trains, commuters are falling back on the inter-district and inter-state bus services despite the soaring rates.City police chief Amitesh Kumar said the priority as far as bus travel is concerned are speeding and rash driving on Samruddhi Mahamarg, safety of women and children, especially girls travelling alone, and parking violations. We will urge bus operators to deploy skilled and experienced drivers for Samruddhi Mahamarg, along with relievers for rotational duty, said Kumar, adding drivers would be checked for drunk driving too.Kumar also said a substantial number of girl students travel back and forth from hostels and vice versa, and number of unaccompanied women travelling also increases at this time. The bus operators have to make adequate arrangements and take care about womens security. They need to be alert and forthcoming with possible help in case any woman needs protection during travel. Strict action would be initiated against any operator failing to take prompt action, he said.We also published the following articles recentlyFlexi or fleecing? Private bus operators jack up bus faresPrivate bus operators in Nagpur have implemented flexi-fares for the upcoming festive season, despite instructions from the state transport department to not charge more than 50% of the per km fare of state transport buses. As a result, bus fares on popular routes have more than doubled, causing difficulties for passengers trying to find affordable and convenient transportation for Diwali. The hike in fares is particularly prominent on routes to Pune, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Surat, Indore, Aurangabad, and Banaras. Some passengers may have to pay between Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000 for a return journey to Pune.Electric inter-city bus service startup Fresh Bus raises Rs 7.5 croreFresh Bus, an electric inter-city bus service startup, has raised Rs 7.5 crore in funding. Investors in the second seed funding round include Kunal Shah, Sudarshan Venu, and Deepak Garg. The funds will be used for technology development, workforce expansion, and operational efficiency. Fresh Bus previously raised Rs 16 crore in seed funding from Ixigo. The company plans to introduce 150 new buses and 10 new routes, targeting a revenue of Rs 20 crore by December 2024.CMRL to operate additional trains on TuesdayDue to the suspension of Southern Railway EMU services, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is operating additional trains on Tuesday. Peak hour services will run every six minutes between Wimco Nagar depot and Airport metro. A short loop service will also be available between Alandur metro and Washermenpet metro every three minutes during specific time slots. Trains will operate every six minutes between Alandur metro and Central metro, and every 12 minutes between Central metro and St Thomas Mount. Three additional trains will also be running on the Alandur metro to Central metro route via Koyambedu.

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