A fleet of 11 air-conditioned buses arrived at the Botanical Garden Metro station around noon on Friday, surprising commuters. Each bus is equipped with emergency buttons, luggage carriers, and charging ports at all 40 seats. The first bus departed at 12:05 pm with eight passengers, marking the inaugural journey to Noida International Airport via Pari Chowk.
First Commuters Share Their Experience
Prachi Tomar, a Dadri resident who purchased the first ticket, expressed her delight. "I had been waiting for transport for 15 minutes. I did not know about this service; it was a very nice surprise," she said. Tomar noted that private buses often overload before departure, causing passengers to push each other during rush hour. "But this problem has now been solved," she added.
Aditya Tiwari, a BTech student from Greater Noida, said he had read about the service in newspapers but did not expect it to launch so soon. "There was no wait once we boarded, and plenty of space. In private buses, I usually have to stand in the aisle," he remarked.
Anjali, a BEd student from Delhi's GK-1 area, called the buses a blessing. She highlighted the lack of connectivity between Sector 51 and Sector 52 metro stations, forcing commuters to walk in extreme heat. "The air-conditioned buses are a huge relief," she said.
Fare Structure and Route Details
The starting fare is Rs 20. The ticket to Pari Chowk, a 40-minute journey, costs Rs 30, while the fare to Noida airport is Rs 50. All eight initial passengers alighted at Pari Chowk. The bus waited 15 minutes for additional travelers before resuming at 1:10 pm. It traveled via Noida Expressway, then took the service lane of Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida, connecting Gautam Buddha University, Galgotias University, Film City (YEIDA), and several sectors and villages along the route.
Driver Vimal Kumar stopped occasionally to ask for directions, reaching the airport at 2:30 pm. He assured that future journeys would be smoother as the route becomes familiar. The bus began its return journey empty at 2:40 pm. At Pari Chowk around 3:20 pm, a family of three boarded. Taufeek Alam said they were headed to Greater Noida from Rabupura and would have taken the bus if they had known about the service. The bus completed the return trip in 80 minutes, arriving at Botanical Garden at 4 pm.
About the Author
Shafaque Alam is a special correspondent at The Times of India in Noida, covering traffic, transport, and civic issues of Noida Authority, Greater Noida Authority, and Yamuna Authority. He has a keen interest in video journalism, poetry, and music.
