BRTS relaunch likely in early July with 40 buses

The Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) project is gearing up to relaunch full-scale operations, with 40 buses expected to be back on the roads by the first week of July. Although no official announcement has been made yet, the buzz around the preparations by Punjab Roadways and the government suggests that the service will resume soon. After operating for the past six months with limited, free services, passengers will now be required to pay fare, as the Punjab government has reportedly issued a fare notification. However, the Municipal Corporation is still not making any effort to hire a vendor for ticket collection and a firm to handle bus repairs.

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The revival of the BRTS began in December 2024, just before the municipal elections, when Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal flagged off six buses. These buses had resumed service after a 14-month hiatus and have since been running between the Golden Gate and India Gate without charging any fare.

Punjab Roadways will supervise the overall project while the fare collection will fall under the Municipal Corporation’s jurisdiction. The fare details, prepared by Punjab Roadways, were submitted to the Punjab government, which has since approved them through an official notification. However, the department is now facing a logistical delay due to the unavailability of ticketing machines, which are essential for fare collection. Once these machines are procured and installed, the full fleet of 40 buses will begin operations.

City residents have been demanding an increase in the number of BRTS buses and expansion of services to more routes. These routes are now ready for use but are awaiting the final step of installing the ticket machines. Punjab Roadways officials stated that all aspects such as rising fuel prices and the increasing cost of spare parts were taken into account while deciding the fare structure.

“We heard that the bus service will resume on the BRTS route but the MC didn’t hire the ticket collection staff till date. It would be further delayed due to poor coordination among the various departments involved in the operation,” said the manager of a firm hired for BRTS operation.