kolkata: North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) has clocked its highest ever revenue in the month of May by collecting Rs 15.57 crore.
The record collection assumes significance as revenue had dropped to an average of Rs 8 -9 crore per month during the COVID pandemic situation. In a particular month in 2019, NBSTC had collected Rs 15.34 crores.
"We are starting bus services thrice a week from Siliguri to Nepal's capital Kathmandu via Kankarvita from June 16. State Transport minister Firhad Hakim will be in Siliguri to inaugurate the bus. There will be return services from Kathmandu to Siliguri thrice a week. The introduction of this new service will surely boost our revenue collection," NBSTC chairman Partha Pratim Roy said.
The 40 seater air conditioned deluxe bus will cost Rs 1500 for each passenger. Presently, there are 635 buses in NBSTC's fleet that includes both AC and non AC buses.
In the end of December last year two bus services to Assam from Alipurduar was introduced by NBSTC. The buses ply to Bongaigaon and Dhubri in Assam. The services were available earlier but had stopped owing to the Covid 19 pandemic. The resumption of these services has been of immense help to the traders of Alipurduar as well as of Assam.
"We have identified some profitable routes and have started services in these routes that include some long distance services from Jaigaon in Alipurduar. The monitoring system has been boosted and emphasis has been given to passenger comfort too," Roy said.
NBSTC has plans to introduce bus services to Bihar and Jharkhand too, a senior official said.