Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, today chaired the 86th Board of Directors (BoDs) meeting of Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation (JKRTC) at Civil Secretariat here.

The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary, PWD, Shailendra Kumar; Secretary Transport Department, Prasanna Ramaswamy G; DG Codes, Managing Director, JKRTC, Chief Engineer MED and other concerned officers both in person and through video conferencing.

During the meeting, the Board of Directors discussed various issues related to functioning of the Corporation including maintenance of the fleet, improvement of services, and expansion of corporation’s operations. The board also reviewed financial performance of the Corporation and suggested measures to improve its profitability.

Addressing the officers during the meeting, Advisor Bhatnagar emphasized upon the management of Corporation for optimal use of its fleet (Buses/Trucks) besides exploring other possible avenues for generation of non operational revenue. He highlighted that the Corporation plays a vital role in providing reliable transport services to people of Jammu and Kashmir and therefore its imperative upon the corporation to keep evolving with the modern transportation system.

Advisor, who is also the Chairman of the Board, impressed upon the management of Corporation to implement the latest technological advancements in the corporation so that best facilities are provided to general public. He also stressed on the importance of ensuring the safety and comfort of passengers using the corporation’s services.

During the meeting, the Board took some significant decisions for improving the overall health and performance of the Corporation.

The Board appreciated the Corporation for implementation first phase of ITMS and asked them to make it fully functional within a period of one month so that general public and commuters are benefitted by online ticketing facility.

The Board also directed the Corporation to devolve other means of earning non operational revenue. The Board asked them to utilise the spaces inside and outside the buses for advertisement purposes and prepare a thorough plan for the same in consultation with information department and other departments.

The Board also asked the Corporation to organise skill upgrading training programme for employees of Corporation in collaboration with IIM Jammu and IIT Jammu.

During the meeting, Managing Director, JKRTC, gave a detailed presentation on performance and functioning of the Corporation.

Meanwhile, Advisor Bhatnagar also launched the Starbus web portal (https://starbus.jk.gov.in) and Pathik Traveler Mobile App of JKRTC on the occasion.

These IT initiatives are an end to end work flow based solution for complete automation of processes related to operation, management and maintenance of bus operations of the Corporation. These initiatives will also provide Automatic Fare Generation System, Station, Route and Service Management System, Fleet Management, Depot Automation, Work Shop Automation, among other end to end solutions to the corporation.

The initiatives will also provide easy to use online ticket booking system for travelers, equipped with search and booking facility in four easy steps.