According to officials of Bhopal City Link Limited (BCLL), the revived service on route TR-4 will operate from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day. Each bus is expected to ferry around 250 to 300 passengers. Municipal Commissioner Sanskriti Jain confirmed that the fleet will now run regularly, marking the first phase of a gradual restoration plan.
The city’s bus services had nearly collapsed over the past 18 months due to disputes between the BCLL and private operators over revenue sharing, ticketing systems, and taxation. Out of 368 buses once operating across 25 routes, more than 300 went off the roads, forcing commuters to rely on private transport and shared autos.
The shutdown began on July 4 last year when Maa Associates, one of the main operators, withdrew 149 buses over reduced per-kilometre payments from the ‘Chalo App’ ticketing agency. Despite repeated negotiations, the deadlock persisted, and the issue was even raised in the state assembly by MLA Rameshwar Sharma.
Following the intervention of the Municipal Commissioner, operator firm M/s Incubate Softech cleared pending RTO taxes and permit issues, allowing the resumption of 16 CNG buses. The firm earlier managed 77 buses under BCLL’s network.
Officials said Monday’s move is part of a broader effort to rebuild public transport in phases. “This is the first step toward restoring full city bus services,” a senior BCLL officer said. “We aim to expand routes and increase the number of buses soon.”
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