The proposal will provide convenient and economical transport to people travelling within and outside India. tribune file photo

Gagan K Teja

Tribune News Service

Patiala, April 12

Passengers to IGI Airport, Delhi, will benefit as Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) has prepared a proposal to extend the route of all Delhi-bound buses till the airport.The proposal will provide convenient and economical transport to people travelling to and out of India.So far, 30 PRTC buses, including ordinary, HVAC and super intergal coaches, go to the Inter State Bus Terminus, Delhi, everyday from different depots from Patiala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Bathinda.In terms of distance, the buses will only have to cover a distance of about 20 extra km and the corporation does not require a special permit for it as it already has permission to link with any destination in Delhi. Moreover, even the bus fares would be almost the same.On the other hand, private Volvo owners are charging Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000 from Rajpura to Delhi airport which is ideally the shortest distance from Punjab to Delhi airport and the PRTC fare from Patiala to Delhi is Rs 250 for ordinary buses, Rs 415 for HVAC buses and Rs 570 the Scania luxury buses. The latter fare is just one-third of a Volvo coach.Moreover, the corporation has also sought the addition of 20 heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) buses and super integral coaches to its fleet with immediate affect so that they can provide comfortable travel to its passengers during the summers.PRTC managing director Manjit Singh Narang informed that there is a huge demand for starting buses to Delhi airport from different depots, hence, the proposal.A large number of people from Punjab commute to Delhi airport everyday and they have to spend huge amounts for the same. While they end up spending at least Rs 5,000 in case of cabs, traveling by PRTC buses would be a huge relief. “Moreover, such move will also boost our revenue,” he pointed out.