50% Of City Buses Off Road Within A Yr, Lakhs Of Commuters Hit

Bhopal: Around half of Bhopal City Link Limited (BCLL) buses, responsible for transporting thousands of passengers, are no longer operational, leaving commuters stranded with no immediate solution. This situation comes at a time when state govt has revamped BRTS corridor for swift movement of traffic and BCLL has reinvested crores into the redevelopment.
This decline in operational buses, from 350 just six months ago, is attributed to terminated contracts and the withdrawal of the ticket collection agency. Previous attempts to find a replacement agency have been unsuccessful, with four consecutive tenders failing to attract any takers, according BMC mayor-in-council member (transport) and corproator, Manoj Rathore.
While Rathore has offered assurances that a solution is imminent, there appears to be no concrete plan in place to address the situation, leaving the city's commuters in a state of uncertainty.
The number of BCLL buses operating in Bhopal has decreased by 50% over a six-month period. Most are off-road parked and stationery for weeks. Rathore claimed the contract has been terminated but replacements have not been found. This decline occurred gradually over six months. The bus company impacted is BCLL. The specific cause for the reduction in buses has not been disclosed. In about six months, the number of BCLL buses on city roads has declined to half.
According to sources, there are four agencies operating city buses. BCLL is a fully owned Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) subsidiary. Electric buses are in the pipeline for the state capital.