Bhopal Faces Public Transport Crisis: Over 280 City Buses Out Of Service, Commuters Rely On Overloaded Auto Rickshaws

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): People commuting through Bhopal City Link Limited-owned buses have been left in the lurch. Months ago, almost 180 out of 368 buses had ceased operations due to credit crunch.

Recently, 106 more buses have found their place in the depot as they fail to meet the fitness standards decided by the regional transport office (RTO). This leaves just 82 buses shuttling in the city. This has forced people to switch to other means of transport like autorickshaws to reach their destination.

Another cascading effect is overloaded autorickshaws, where instead of eight people, approximately 12 to 13 people are stuffed inside them. The traffic police have turned a blind eye to overloaded auto rickshaws as no action has been taken against them.

Another flip side of just 82 buses plying is that areas like Rang mahal Talkies, Karond, Ayodhya bypass, Misrod and Ashoka Garden where the buses would arrive for almost 12 times a day are seeing their arrival just thrice a day.

Old GPS systems, defunct cameras

Officials at Bhopal City Link Limited (BCLL) told Free Press that RTO declared several of their buses unfit as they have old GPS system, which does not meet RTO standards. In other buses, cameras do not work.

BCLL to ramp up fitness of buses: Director

When contacted, BCLL director Manoj Rathore said that efforts were underway to ramp up fitness of all buses. This will cost Rs 14,000 per bus.