Bhopal: City Buses To Go Off Roads From July 24

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): City buses will soon disappear from Bhopal’s roads starting from July 24 as the contract between the Bhopal City Link Limited (BCLL) and private bus operators comes to an end. By August, all remaining operational routes will also be discontinued, leaving daily commuters with no option but to depend on private vehicles, autos or cabs. Currently, 4 stop from July 23 as their contracts end

According to the officials of BCLL, currently, only 86 city buses are running on 6 routes -- a sharp fall from the 368 buses across 24 routes in the city. And out of these 86 buses, 5 to 7 buses remain off-road due to maintenance or other issue issues.

The drastically reduced fleet has severely impacted passenger numbers, dropping from 1.5 lakh daily commuters to just 10,000–12,000. Until March this year, buses used to arrive every 5–10 minutes. Now, waiting time stretches beyond 30 minutes, causing inconvenience to commuters.

Adding to the woes, 149 buses of Maa Associates have been lying idle at Bagsewania depot for over 16 months. The operator halted the services after disputes over payments and app-based ticketing agency. Although dues have been cleared, the operator has refused to resume service without additional payments. The matter remains stuck in court.

E-buses not until Nov

Bhopal’s long-awaited fleet of 100 e-buses is not expected to arrive until November. Approved two years ago, the electric buses were initially scheduled to be deployed by July but delays in delivery have stalled their launch.

BCLL Director Manoj Rathor said "We are now planning to take the city bus matter to the Minister of Urban Administration and Development and will also write a letter to the Chief Minister soon".  

86 city buses running on 6 routes

BOX: The remaining routes SR-2 (Neelbad to Katara Hills), SR-4 (Karond to Bairagarh Chichli), SR-5 (Chirayu Hospital to Awadhpuri), TR-4B (Gandhi Nagar to Vardhman), Mini Bus 413 (Neelbad to Transport Nagar Kokta), and TR-4 (Chirayu Hospital to Rani Kamlapati Station) will also cease operations soon. Of the 86 functioning buses, 35 are set to stop from July 23 as their contracts end. The rest will follow in August.