Fighting bus operators hold commuters to ransom

Tribune News Service

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Ludhiana, April 9

Commuters had to suffer when a fight broke out between two bus service operators on the road near the ISBT. The fight led to a massive traffic jam.

The incident happened in the afternoon when drivers and conductors of Budel Bus Service and Horizon Connect Transways, which has the MC contract for plying City Bus Service, entered into a fight. Both sides accused each other of not following proper time schedule of halting buses at stoppages.

The drivers of both bus service operators parked their buses in the middle of the road, leading to a massive traffic jam.

“They have stopped buses in the middle of the road, and nobody’s intervening to pacify the fighting drivers,” a commuter said.

Meanwhile, Harjinder Singh, MD of the Horizon Connect Transways, said the private bus operators didn’t have permission to ply on certain routes, including Metro-Dhandra route, but they illegally ply their buses on this route. Gurmukh Singh from Budel Bus Service alleged that the former was violating the rules as the bus service had permit only till Dugri. “The case is sub judice in the High Court. I have the permit since 2003 and they cannot stop us from plying buses on this route,” he said.