Airport AC bus fares slashed

Pimpri Chinchwad: Fares for CityAir, the airconditioned bus services to Lohegaon airport from Kothrud and Hinjewadi, have been reduced considerably.
The airport bus services and the Pune Darshan bus tours are operated by private agency GeoDirect in partnership with PMPML and the Pune Municipal Corporation.
The fare for the Kothrud to airport route has been reduced from Rs 120 to Rs 60, while for the Hinjewadi to airport route it has been brought down from Rs 180 to Rs 100.Monthly passes will now cost Rs 1,500 instead of Rs 3,000, while weekly passes will cost Rs 600 instead of the earlier Rs 1200, a CityAir spokesperson said.
The discounted fares are applicable till March 31, following which they will be revised once more.
Passengers will now also be able to track buses and schedule when to board a particular bus, as buses have been fitted with GPS and CCTV cameras.
The GPS tracking feature allows passengers to track the location of a particular bus on their mobile phones. "Passengers can visit the CityAir.in/live page and click on the bus number and track the vehicle via GPS on maps. This will help them estimate the time it will take for the bus to get to their bus stop," the spokesperson said.
The operators regularly check the CCTV camera recordings to ensure that the staff is working properly.
Conductors, too, use a cellphone application and a hand-held printer to issue tickets.
"We have developed a comprehensive cellphone app for conductors which ensures that our ground staff is always connected to the system. The customers receive a PNR via SMS as well as a ticket printout for their reference. Our office can view tickets issued in each bus live and even assist conductors in case of an emergency," the spokesperson said.
The provision for live updates was introduced last month and has become very popular with passengers, who have provided feedback and suggestions. "Passengers have given suggestions about new timings and other routes they want us to start," the spokesperson added.