Gurgaon Inc turns to shuttles
With the Supreme Court ordering phasing out of diesel vehicles in Delhi and the other NCR towns, corporate houses in the city are slowly replacing their diesel cabs for employees with CNG-run shuttle buses.
The companies say as very few SUV run on compressed natural gas (CNG,) replacing them with buses is more feasible and economical.
Firms such as Nagarro, Hero Motorcorp, Maruti and Snapdeal have started replacing office cabs with shuttle buses. The companies said buses are more spacious and so more employees can be accommodated in each of them, compared to cabs. S
“Nagarro has already started replacing cabs with CNG buses and taxis. As many as 55 cabs have been replaced with 22 shuttle buses, which are more convenient for the employees. The shuttle buses are more economical and eco-friendly,” said Megha Jha, PR and communication representative, Nagarro.
A spokesperson of Snapdeal said, “The company has phased out cabs provided to employees. We have shifted to buses through tie-ups with private shuttle and cab aggregators.”
Concentrix Corporation, an outsourcing firm for IBM, said with the new and stringent rules being introduced in Delhi-NCR, it plans to shift to buses.
The company, which has more than 3,000 employees, is currently using cabs.
“We are currently using cabs for our employees but considering the laws and policies being introduced by the authorities, we plan to shift to CNG buses,” said an official from the transport department of Concentrix Corporation.
However, some firms like Convergys, which has over 2,000 employees, say the roads in the city are unfit for buses.
Officials from the company said most of the roads in Gurgaon are narrow, broken and congested. They are not fit for bigger vehicles.
“Even if the company wants to shift to buses, it is not possible in Gurgaon. There are times when people are stuck in hour-long jams. In such situations, it is easier to use smaller vehicles. Buses may pose a problem,” said an official of Convergys.
In the current situation, private players providing bus services such as Shuttl, Meri Bus and ZipGo have seen an upsurge in their customer base. The companies said a number of private firms are tying up with them for bus services.
Amit Singh, co-founder Shuttl, said “There has been an overwhelming response from the corporate sector in Gurgaon. We are currently working with more than 15 companies in Delhi/NCR such as Mahindra Comviva, Nagarro and Smart Cube. The buses help the companies serve a larger number of employees and also adhere to government norms for CNG vehicles. This also helps companies save money.”