Government buses awaiting maintenance and lying in garages will be made roadworthy at the earliest to boost the city’s public transport, officials said.

The move comes within four days of chief minister Mamata Banerjee slamming the transport department for the lack of buses and the harassment of commuters.

Senior transport department officials said at least six key intersections — Rashbehari, Gariahat, Kalighat, Alipore, Exide and Shyambazar — have been identified where special night trips will be organised to ensure commuters don’t have to wait long to return home from work.

The number of daily trips will be increased by pressing more buses into service, the officials said. The number of buses has been increased on at least seven routes covering Ultadanga, New Town, Dum Dum, Karunamoyee and Howrah.

“The number of daily trips by government buses across the city will be increased from a little over 3,000 to over 4,000 so that more buses are available on the roads. Across different routes, the number of buses has been increased from 203 to 368. In New Town, the number of buses has been increased from 108 to 156,” said a senior official in the transport department.

Such promises in the past have shown little change on the ground.

On Thursday, the chief minister had asked transport minister Snehasis Chakraborty to visit different parts of the city to understand the plight of the passengers and even rebuked him when he said the frequency of some buses had increased.

“Transport department silent department hoye gyachhey (transport department has become silent). Many people wait on the road. I often get to see them,” Mamata had said while addressing a review meeting at Nabanna.

On Monday, Chakraborty and a team of senior officials led by transport secretary Saumitra Mohan visited different pockets of the city and interacted with passengers to understand their woes.

In Esplanade, Thakurpukur and Sector V, commuters voiced their grievances about the lack of government buses during rush hours. Some wondered aloud why no attempt was made earlier to listen to their grievances.

“Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has instructed us to increase the fleet strength of state buses to alleviate the woes of the commuters. We are taking necessary steps to address the shortfall and ensure enough buses are available
on the roads,” Chakraborty said.

Several commuters said government buses were too few and waiting for them meant embracing uncertainty. At night, state buses go missing after 9pm and private buses aren’t enough, they said.

“The transport department is possibly unaware of the number of passengers who wait at bus stops after 9pm to return home. There aren’t enough buses and the number dwindles further at night,” said Shilpi Ghosh, a private bank executive who commutes between her Howrah home and the Rashbehari crossing daily.