Government buses meant for daily commuters in Ludhiana remained off the roads for the second consecutive day on Friday, as a large section of the Punjab Roadways and PRTC fleet continued to be redeployed for a state-level event in Hoshiarpur, severely disrupting public transport services across the city and adjoining areas.
According to officials, the diversion led to the complete suspension of several local routes, including Lalton, Amloh, Sirhind, Ahmedgarh, Sunam, Raikot and Jagraon, leaving office-goers, women commuters and daily wage earners dependent on private buses charging higher fares.
Reportedly, around 113 government buses out of Ludhiana’s 221-bus fleet remained diverted from regular operations on Friday. With each bus covering an average of 300 to 350 km daily, the department estimates that nearly 35,400 km of scheduled services were missed in a single day, significantly affecting connectivity to surrounding towns and rural belts.
At Ludhiana’s Interstate Bus Terminus, frustration was evident as passengers waited for the few operational buses.
Mehtab Kaur, travelling from Jagraon, said, “I had to bring my husband to Ludhiana for a health check-up. With government buses largely off the roads, we were forced to board an overcrowded private bus. For a state-level event, the government could have hired private buses instead of causing such hardship to common passengers.”
Officials said the missed kilometres reflected not just reduced trips but the complete suspension of several routes, particularly during peak morning and evening hours when commuter demand is highest. The reduced fleet also resulted in overcrowding on the limited buses still operating, further compounding passenger inconvenience.
A member of the Punjab Roadways, Punbus and PRTC Contract Workers Union said bus operations in Ludhiana were virtually paralysed on Friday due to large-scale diversions. “All routes remained affected throughout the day. Punjab Roadways was operating only a single minibus on the Ludhiana–Machhiwara route. Except for this lone service, all Punjab Roadways buses on local and inter-district routes connecting nearby towns and rural belts remained largely suspended.”
A senior PRTC official, requesting anonymity, said services remained thin across routes. “Earlier, buses from other depots were roped in to manage such situations. However, with around 650 buses from Punjab Roadways and PRTC diverted across the state, it was difficult to maintain services, resulting in long waiting hours for commuters.”
Responding to the disruption, Navraj Batish, General Manager, Punjab Roadways, said, “Services on local routes remained largely disrupted. We are prioritising routes with higher passenger footfall to minimise inconvenience.”
Punjab Roadways officials said the disruption may not end soon. With political events scheduled on February 16 and February 22, further large-scale diversion of public buses is likely in the coming days.
www.hindustantimes.com
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