'Bussy' Days in Vizag!

I grew up more closely with 400, 55, 99, 111, 222, 28, 6, 38 and 500 than other numbers. Many of you must have figured out the reason for this while some of you may still be trying to figure out what those numbers mean. Well.. They're all APSRTC Bus routes in the city of Vizag. Buses have been an integral part of my life. I've always preferred buses and trains to other modes of transport. There's this unique experience of being able to see everything from a height(this gave a sense of superiority when was a child!), being able to talk to my parents as they aren't busy driving and finally being eco-friendly which compels me to travel by a bus whenever and wherever possible.

I lived most of my years in Vizag in Nausena Baugh, which is sandwiched between Scindia and Malkapuram. As a result, buses like 400, 99 and 55 were the most common. While 400 took me to Railway Station and RTC Complex, 99 transported me to the calm breezy RK beach. 10K took me to Kailasagiri Hill Top from RTC Complex while 6A took me to the top of Simhachalam temple on hilltop from NAD.

Later, when I was in intermediate, 400, along with its friends 400N, 400K, 400Y, 400R and a few more were the ones which helped me reach my college every day! There were days when I left a bus deliberately, as I had an inner feeling that the next bus would surely overtake it(it did actually happen most of the times!). And then there were days when I used to change buses, sometimes because I was late and sometimes I wanted to explore. Sometimes, there was barely any place to stand while on other times, getting a seat was possible only after 80% of the journey was completed!

Later when I shifted to Sriharipuram which is between Gajuwaka and Malkapuram, 38J became a familiar number with those buses plying very close to my house. Recently I shifted to Sheelanagar, and now there's a totally different world of buses. 500 with many suffixes like A, Y, D etc, 38 with suffixes like Y and K and 111 became a common sight. Others like 28K, 28Z/H,6 and 6A/H are known to me as I've travelled on them enroute to other destinations which lie on the route of these buses. A lot of buses still remain unexplored though and I look forward to vacations when I can buy a 1 day Travel As You Like(TAYL) ticket and go on a trip to all corners of Vizag, exploring new buses and their routes in the process.

The monthly pass which offers unlimited City Ordinary rides costed me less than a tea cup a day(₹140/month compared to ₹150 a month for tea, if we take a cup of tea to be ₹5!) I've seen them evolve over the years, the City Ordinary to Metro Express to Metro Luxury. They are the true 'lifelines of Vizag'. They arise a lot of nostalgia whenever I see them and are one of the best public transport systems in the country(would be the best as soon as the BRTS is fully operational). The introduction of electric buses on some routes would surely prove beneficial in the long run as they don't guzzle fossil fuels and don't generate any toxic fumes too. I look forward to more such initiatives by the government to make the city a smarter one.