The Pondicherry Road Transport Corporation (PRTC), a Government transport unit in the Union Territory of Pondicherry, established in 1986, provides services in all the four regions of Puducherry, namely, Pondicherry, Karaikal, Mahé and Yanam. It is the smallest STU in the country with around 140 vehicles in its fleet. The Corporation has a lot of geographical barriers as the union territory itself is spread across three States. The four regions – Karaikal, Mahe, Yenam and Pondicherry – are located in three different States, making PRTC one of the most unique STUs in India.
We met Mr. Devarajan, Managing Director, PRTC, at his office to find out more about the STU’s operations. Says Mr. Devarajan: “We work with passengers and provide the best services to them at affordable costs. Our goal is to ensure we reach every passenger and provide them a convenient and comfortable travel. PRTC has one of the youngest fleets and intends to augment it to further expand its reach to interior villages and outskirts. We have also recently inducted some mini-buses through the JnNurm scheme.”
The Corporation’s mini buses have received good response from the public. The STU has a complete setup for bus body repair and maintenance and a training centre for its fleet and crew. Being smaller compared to other STUs, PRTC is yet to invest in a body building unit of its own. The STU is looking forward to expand its fleet by inducting more AC buses, with its existing AC fleet drawing encouraging response from passengers. PRTC operates its AC buses on key and primary routes such as Chennai to Pondicherry and intends to cover more interstate routes with the sophisticated buses.
“Going forward, we will be investing in new buses and technologies for our future expansion and will continue to whole-heartedly work towards serving the public. Being an STU, we are bound by the Government’s policies and are doing our best within our boundaries”, adds Mr. Devarajan who has changed the face of the Corporation ever since he took charge.
A tech-savvy operator, PRTC has a 100 per cent GPS-fitted fleet, a statistic not many other STUs in the country can boast of. It has a dedicated control room to keep track of the operations and monitor and record data such as speed, direction and engine performance. While all its buses are fitted with nitrogen-filled radial tyres, wheel alignment and balance are checked periodically in order to get the best out of the tyres.
Despite being the smallest STU, PRTC sure does pack a punch when it comes to adoption of latest technology and focus on offering the best-in-class services for passengers.