Eighteen more Innova taxis were added to the Himachal Road Transport Corporation’s (HRTC’s) fleet in the Queen of Hills on Wednesday, under the ‘ride with pride’ scheme.
Dedicating the new cabs, chief minister (CM) Jai Ram Thakur presented the keys to the drivers and flagged off these vehicles from Oak Over. These vehicles, which cost ₹2.91 crore, were procured under the Smart City Shimla Project.
Speaking on the occasion, the CM said that Shimla was not only the capital of the state but also a famous international tourist destination. “The Smart City project had changed the look of the city and under this scheme different steps have been taken to improve the facilities and for the convenience of the tourists and locals. Through the Ride with Pride taxi service, better transport facilities will be made available to locals, particularly the elderly, women, and physically challenged, apart from tourists at large,” said Thakur.
Around 3,000 people use the taxi service everyday. Thakur said apart from the 18 new cabs, 12 tempo travellers and 20 electric buses had also been sanctioned to the HRTC under the Smart City project, which would be dedicated to the people of the state next month. “Around ₹46 crore has been sanctioned for tempo travellers, electric buses, the Dhali bus stand, Tara Devi charging stand and setting up a digital payment system under the project, “he said
“Recently, 205 new buses were added to the HRTC fleet, taking the number of buses with the corporation to 3,100. Approvals have been accorded for the purchase of 397 more new buses for the year 2022-23,” he added.