Madhya Pradesh relaunches state bus service after 21-year shutdown
Madhya Pradesh has restarted its public bus service after a 21-year gap, initially deploying 351 buses across seven cities. The state government plans a much larger network by 2031, while Congress has questioned the condition and safety checks of some vehicles used in the launch.
Madhya Pradesh relaunched its public bus service on Friday, 21 years after the state-run operation was shut down, with 351 buses flagged off across seven cities. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav launched the Mukhyamantri Sugam Parivahan Seva at a ceremony in Bhopal. The service is being introduced under the state’s Mobility Vision 2030.
The first phase covers Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Rewa, Dewas, Katni and Bhind. It includes 231 intra-city buses and 120 inter-city buses. The state government said it plans to operate 1,500 buses during the first year and add between 2,500 and 3,000 buses annually.
Its longer-term target is to run 15,000 intra-state and inter-state buses across 3,500 routes by 2031. The government also aims to connect 75% of the state’s gram panchayats. Yadav said the service would provide a modern, affordable and safe transport option for the public.
Yadav and Gadkari also launched the PM e-bus Sewa scheme in Madhya Pradesh. The Union government programme uses a public-private partnership model to operate electric buses. Gadkari said the Centre planned to deploy 10,000 electric buses under the scheme at a cost of ₹57,000 crore, with ₹20,000 crore to be contributed by the Centre.
He added that 972 buses had so far been sanctioned for Madhya Pradesh. The state’s relaunch, however, drew criticism from the opposition Congress. Congress state president Jitu Patwari said some of the buses appeared to be old vehicles that had been repainted and refurbished.
He called on the government to disclose their condition, explain how their fitness had been verified and set out the safety measures being used before passengers travel on them.
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