In a first for the state of Telangana and Hyderabad, an air-conditioned modern bus shelter was inaugurated on Tuesday Shilparamam at HITEC City. Minister for Municipal Administration & Urban Development K T Rama Rao, who inaugurated the bus shelter said that Hyderabad will see at least 30 such bus shelters in the city with ‘ultra-modern facilities’.
The bus shelter comes with an exclusive baby feeding room and according to a statement from the ministry, this facility is not restricted only to the passengers who throng the bus shelter for boarding a bus. This is meant for moms who pass by the area also.
The bus shelter also features an SoS button, which can alert a command centre in case of emergencies.
This bus shelter, which is referred to as a grade 1 shelter has an air-conditioned seating area, kiosk, coffee and cool drink vending machines, small food courts, ATMs, separate toilets for ladies and gents.
All the Grade 1 shelters will also be WiFi-enabled and will have display of bus timings and routes. The grade 1 shelters will have digital display of bus movements as well.
The shelters are classified into four different grades. Grade 2 bus shelters are along bus stops on main routes. These shelters will have a common toilet, depending on the space availability and other amenities. Grade 3 and 4 bus shelters will also be made inside colonies.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has handed over 826 bus shelters – close to 400 are existing and another 400 are being newly built – to four different agencies on a DBFOT basis through tender process.
At the new sites, new bus shelters will be erected, and the existing ones will be replaced with new shelters with modern designs and amenities.
Transport Minister P Mahender Reddy, City Mayor Bonthu Rammohan, Local MLA Arekapudi Gandhi, and Commissioner of GHMC Dr B Janardhan Reddy were also represent at the inauguration.