Chandigarh: CTU to ply 20 AC buses on 13 long routes in a week

CTU finalises routes to expand services in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand

Nearly six months after Chandigarh got 20 air-conditioned (HVAC) buses, the UT transport department is all set to operate them on 13 long routes in neighbouring states.

With the addition of these 20 AC buses, which have been bought at a cost of around ₹12 crore, CTU’s long-route fleet will increase to 223. (HT Photo)

While nine of these destinations are new, the remaining four involve locations where the service was previously discontinued and is now being resumed. With this, the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) will expand its services in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

As per the transport department’s plan, out of the total of 20 buses, nine will be plying to new destinations, including Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh; Delhi; Chamba and Nurpur in Himachal Pradesh; and Haridwar, Rudrapur, Sitarganj, Puranpur and Haldwani in Uttarakhand.

The routes where service will be resumed include Chandigarh to Mansa via Patiala; Chandigarh to Ferozepur via Ludhiana; Chandigarh to Agra via Delhi, Faridabad and Palwal; and Chandigarh to Katra via Una, Talwara, Pathankot and Jammu.

The buses will operate from Friday to Saturday from the Inter-State Bus Terminuses in Sector 17 and Sector 43. The detailed schedule will be released with the buses’ launch.

The Chandigarh administration had signed an agreement with Tata Motors in March 2022 for purchasing 20 heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) buses for inter-state routes. The buses were eventually procured in November 2022.

Special attention has been paid to ensure compliance with BS VI emission standards and put in place the latest electronically-controlled diesel engines.

UT transport director Pradhuman Singh said, “The file for the planned routes has been sent to the UT administration and we are hopeful of launching the buses within a week. The buses are equipped with modern facilities, besides air-conditioning and comfortable seats.”

With the addition of these 20 AC buses, which have been bought at a cost of around ₹12 crore, CTU’s long-route fleet will increase to 223 and the total number of CTU buses, including those for local routes, will bump up to 351.

Planned destinations

-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh

-Delhi

-Chamba and Nurpur in Himachal Pradesh

-Haridwar, Rudrapur, Sitarganj, Puranpur, Haldwani in Uttarakhand

-Mansa via Patiala

-Ferozepur via Ludhiana

-Agra via Delhi, Faridabad and Palwal

-Katra via Una, Talwara, Pathankot and Jammu