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Chandigarh administrator flags off 20 new AC buses for long routes
Chandigarh Transport Undertaking expands services in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand
UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit on Thursday flagged off 20 new AC buses for 14 long routes in neighbouring states.
Chandigarh transport director Pradyuman Singh said while nine of these destinations were new, the remaining involved locations where service was previously discontinued and was now being resumed. All will operate daily from the Inter-State Bus Terminuses in Sector 17 and Sector 43.
With the induction of 20 new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) buses, the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) will be expanding its services in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
According to the transport department, these buses will be plying from Chandigarh to Vrindavan and Agra in Uttar Pradesh via Delhi; Chamba via Una and Nurpur in Himachal Pradesh; Rishikesh via Paonta Sahib and Dehradun, Kathgodam via Haridwar and Haldwani, Kotdwar via Haridwar, and Palia via Haridwar and Puranpur in Uttarakhand; Mansa via Patiala and Sunam; Ferozepur via Ludhiana and Moga, Bathinda via Patiala and Sangrur in Punjab; Bhiwani via Kaithal and Jind in Haryana; and Katra in Jammu and Kashmir via Una and Talwara.
Buses equipped with modern facilities
Singh said besides heating, air-conditioning and comfortable seats, the buses were equipped with CCTV cameras for driver behaviour, dashboard and reversing.
Passenger information screens have been installed in the front and rear, apart from pneumatically controlled passenger doors. Also, GPS device and panic button have been installed for emergency. Each bus has a seating capacity of 52 and each row of seats has mobile charging points.
The Chandigarh administration had signed an agreement with Tata Motors in March 2022 for purchasing 20 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.
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.
