Shillong, February 27 : Conrad K. Sangma, Chief Minister of Meghalaya, on Thursday flagged off 15 modern, clean and comfortable city buses under the brand “Ka Bos Jong Ngi” (Our Bus) in a pilot phase. The initiative is part of a larger mobility reform aimed at decongesting Shillong and strengthening structured public transport in the state capital.
The initial one-month trial phase will see 15 buses operating at a frequency of 20–30 minutes on the route between IIM Shillong and Upper Shillong via Civil Hospital. The trial run will also allow citizens to provide feedback to refine operations before the next phase.
In the subsequent phase, the remaining fleet will be introduced with improved 15-minute frequency across additional routes. At the same time, existing SPTS buses will be refurbished and redeployed to enhance service coverage and quality across the city.
The new buses are equipped with GPS tracking, air-conditioning, mobile charging points and digital ticketing facilities. A dedicated mobile application will support real-time tracking and online booking services.
During the programme, the Chief Minister also handed over seven food carts to beneficiaries of the Van Dhan Vikas Kendras, including Sarikushi VDVK (Ri Bhoi), Marngor VDVK (Eastern West Khasi Hills), Mawlynrei VDVK (East Khasi Hills), Mukhla Nongrim VDVK (West Jaintia Hills), Keniong VDVK (South West Khasi Hills), Cham Cham VDVK (East Jaintia Hills) and Songsak VDVK (West Khasi Hills).
Under the Shillong transit plan, the pilot route will operate from IIM Shillong (New Shillong) to Upper Shillong via Civil Hospital, covering a distance of 22 km.
Other proposed corridors include:
- ISBT to Mawlai via IGP–Polo–Mawroh–ISBT (24.2 km)
- Smit to Garikhana via Laitumkhrah–Rhino–Smit (56 km)
- ISBT to Anjalee via Polo–Mawroh–ISBT (12 km)
The fare structure for the service has been fixed as follows:
- 0–3 km: ₹10
- 3–5 km: ₹20
- 5–13 km: ₹30
- More than 13 km: ₹40
