A Green Line Tawwin Transportation bus picks up passengers near Pyinmana.

SINCE the shift of the administrative capital of Myanmar from Yangon to Nay Pyi Taw late last year, nearby Pyinmana has developed into an important transportation hub for the area.

According to locals, before the establishment of Nay Pyi Taw 11 kilometres (7 miles) from the town, Pyinmana was difficult and expensive to access from other nearby villages.

“In the past, we usually came to Pyinmana by taking pickups running on the Yangon-Mandalay highway but the fares were very high,” said U Myint Han from Thike Chaung village, 26 kilometres (16 miles) from Pyinmana.

That was until last December, when Bandoola Transportation Co. Ltd established the Tawwin Transportation bus line to serve Nay Pyi Taw, Pyinmana and other nearby towns.

“We used to have to pay K600 to take a highway pickup from Thike Chaung to Pyinmana but now we can take the Tawwin buses for K100, and they’re more comfortable,” said U Myint Han.

U Myint Kyi, general manager of Tawwin Transportation, said they started their business with 30 buses and one bus line but have since added 10 more buses and two more lines.

“The three lines are colour-coded green, yellow and red,” he said. “The green line, which goes through Pyinmana and runs to all the ministries in Nay Pyi Taw, has the most passengers.”

The green line is 62 kilometres (38 miles) long and costs K250 to ride from beginning to end. The yellow line costs K200 to ride its entire 45-kilometre (28-mile) length, while a full-distance ride on the 82-kilometre (50.7-mile) red line runs K350.

U Myint Kyi said the company invested about K 400 million in the starting the bus lines and has earned about K100 million after 10 months in business. He added that maintenance and repair costs for the buses are quite high, partly owing to the fact that the roads in the Pyinmana area are not as smooth as those in Yangon.

Meanwhile, some locals said that although they enjoyed the cheap bus fares, there were often delays in the system.

“We run a bus every 15 minutes for the out and back trips, but sometimes they break down on the way because of the road conditions, which causes delays for the passengers,” U Myint Kyi said.

He added that as the company develops, they plan to add more bus lines as well as taxi service in Nay Pyi Taw.