New bus terminal to have 20 platforms

VIJAYAWADA, Oct. 10: The Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), Vijayawada region will construct a new terminal in the Pandit Nehru Bus Station for the passengers travelling to Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore and Chittoor districts.
The proposed terminal will have 20 platforms, which will be built close to the national highway in Krishnalanka area. The existing 79 platforms are not able to cope with the bus traffic.
The PNBS handles 3,500 buses to various parts of the state and Karnataka every day.
Keeping in view the future needs of the bus passengers, the RTC proposed to construct the new terminal at a cost of Rs 1 crore.
The regional manager, Mr A. Koteswara Rao, said the department is awaiting the approval of the higher authorities to start the construction works. The RTC will add more platforms in the city terminal very soon to the existing eight platforms.
The city terminal handles one lakh passengers every day and is very useful to a large number of passengers. With the arrival of JNNURM buses, traffic in the city terminal increased.
But, the platforms remained the same for many years. Now, the RTC decided to increase the platforms and lay concrete flooring for the smooth passage of the buses.
The RTC Vijayawada region is also planning to construct multi-stair parking complex for two-wheelers, cars and other vehicles. The Vijayawada depot has been facing many hardships due to insufficient space for parking. The proposed complex will be directly connected to the national highway.
The passengers can park vehicles comfortably and reach the platforms to board the buses.
The proposed multi-stair parking complex will be built in public-private partnership mode for which the RTC will give one acre land on lease for 30 years. Interested parties can build the complex and collect fee for parking the vehicles.
The proposed multi-stair parking complex will be the first of its kind in the city. The railways and the VMC are also planning to construct such parking complexes to prevent parking problem.