Bus commuters in the State are in for an all new experience soon. The Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) on Tuesday, December 12, signed an agreement with German company Mercedes Benz for operating around 175 buses in the State.
According to the agreement, the buses will be operated under a 90:10 profit model to be shared between the company and ASTC and will run under a PPP model.
“Mercedes will bear all the investment cost. We will just facilitate them. The staff recruitment will also be done by the company in the State,” ASTC managing director Anand Prakash Tiwari informed.
The company will also operate inter-state buses besides those within the State, he added.
Sources said Mercedes will also set up special air-conditioned lounges for its passengers and other special features. It will also provide door-to-door connectivity and link its services with cab aggregators like Ola and Uber.
“We will have virtually nothing to do. We will give them the route and facilitate them. The company will recruit all the staff members from Assam. The ASTC will take a facilitation charge of 10 per cent and in case of courier service, 30 per cent,” the MD said.
The first set of around 10-15 buses are expected to arrive in the State by January.
At present, over 2,000 buses operate under the ASTC.
