Punjab Govt mulls buying fully built buses from manufacturers

The Punjab Government will soon start the process of procuring 650 buses for its state transport fleet. The Transport Department is contemplating purchasing fully built buses directly from vehicle manufacturers instead of buying chassis and then get custom-built buses from fabricators.

At present, the department purchases chassis and then get the bus fabricated from registered fabricators on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), a public procurement platform to ensure transparency and efficiency.

Officials privy to the development said buying fully built buses would bring transparency, as during the previous government there were alleged irregularities in getting the body fabricated for 841 buses from Rajasthan.

Based on the comment of the technical committee, the specifications are being tweaked. The department requires 400 buses for the Punjab Roadways Transport Corporation (PRTC) and 250 for Punbus.

From September, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued fresh automotive industry standard code (A-153) that specifies construction and safety requirements for fully built buses with a seating capacity of 13 or more, manufactured since April 1, 2019. It covers features like accessibility for disabled passengers (priority seats, handrails), advanced safety systems (CCTV, GPS), and fire safety measures, as well as other construction standards for passenger safety and comfort. “These buses will have to be new code compliant,” said a senior government functionary.

The PRTC is already in the process of finalising the specifications for the purchase of the fully built midi buses (vehicles that falls between a minibus and a full-sized bus).

JS Grewal, General Secretary of the Punjab’s Small Scale Bus Operators Association, said the CM Bhagwant Mann while flagging the alleged wrong-doings in getting the bus bodies fabricated from Rajasthan had mentioned about the fabrication was done at Rs 11.98 lakh per body. “If they buy chassis or fully fabricated buses in large numbers, the manufacturers offer Rs 5 lakh to Rs 9 lakh discount per vehicle. Bulk purchase can get more discount and check the wrongdoings in the purchase,” he said.