Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Over the past six months, approximately 70,000 city bus commuters in the capital city have been grappling with transportation difficulties as only 219 out of 368 city buses remain operational.
The crisis began in July 2024 when Maa Associate, one of the four city bus operators, ceased operations of all 149 buses due to a dispute with its ticket collection agency, ‘Chalo.’
According to city bus drivers, around 500 passengers rely on a single bus daily, meaning that before the disruption, nearly 1.8 lakh commuters were served by the city’s 368 buses. The reduced fleet has left thousands struggling to find reliable public transportation.
Officials from Bhopal City Link Limited (BCLL) have acknowledged the problem. BCLL Director Manoj Rathore told Free Press that ‘Chalo’ has been blacklisted, and efforts are underway to resolve the crisis. “We are personally looking into the matter to increase the number of buses. Five tenders have been released in the past six months to find a new ticket collection agency,” Rathore said.
Attempts to boost the number of operational buses by collaborating with the three remaining operators have not materialised due to issues related to diesel procurement and many others.
BCLL officials indicated that resolving the issue now depends on finalizing the tender for a new ticket collection agency. The fifth and final tender is set to close on January 12, 2025. Once a new agency is appointed, efforts to restart all buses and normalize city bus services will begin. This process is expected to take place around two months more.
Depending on auto
One of the commuters, Sakshi Sharma, who works in a private bank located in MP Nagar area, told Free Press that she lives in Kolar area and has been facing difficulty since the city bus operation is limited in her area. Now she has to depend on auto rickshaws, and has to shell out three times more than the city bus fare, she stated..
Non operation of 149 buses, which used to run on eight different routes of the city, has left the people struggling. SR8 was the only option to travel to the Kolar area from MP Nagar. Apart from this, TR 4, a heavily traveled route from Chirayu to Mandideep, used to carry around 800 commuters daily, the route has also been shut down.
