Mohali local bus service project back on track

City residents’ long wait for a local bus service may soon be over, as the Punjab transport department is working to roll out 180 electric buses by the next financial year.
On the directions of the transport department, the Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Company (PMIDC) had hired a Delhi-based consultant in April this year to prepare a project report.
Working on a feasibility study, the consultant, after also mapping out routes, is expected to submit a report by the end of this month.
“We have proposed to introduce 180 electric buses in Mohali city. Once we receive the report, we will seek approvals from the state government. The budget will be finalised based on the report, as each electric bus costs approximately ₹1.25 crore,” said a senior officer from PMIDC.
Over the past decade, Mohali has experienced significant growth, with several new sectors developing, increasing the demand for a local bus service covering its length and breadth.
In the absence of Mohali’s own local bus service, currently, city residents rely on the services of the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) that serves Mohali on limited routes.
Over the past decade, the civic body has made several unsuccessful attempts to launch the project. Finally, in April last year, the state government handed over the project to the state transport department, following which the PMIDC initiated a feasibility study.
Stuck in the slow lane for a decade
The proposal for a city bus service in Mohali was initially put forward in 2012, with the Mohali municipal corporation (MC) planning to operate buses on 14 routes.
In 2016, MC also passed a resolution to start a bus service. However, the Punjab local bodies department did not grant approval, even though civic body had allocated a budget of ₹2 crore and planned to run 50 buses on selected routes in the first phase.
In June 2017, then district transport officer Jasbir Singh had identified these routes and submitted a draft proposal for approval to the Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Punjab, but nothing moved on the ground.
Two years later, in December 2019, then deputy commissioner Girish Dayalan wrote to the local bodies director requesting approval for the local bus service.
In November 2021, MC approved a proposal for the bus service to be operated by a private company in exchange for advertising rights. The plan included eight routes within MC limits, but it never saw the light of the day.
Around a decade ago, the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) had also finalised routes for the bus service, but the project was subsequently shelved.
Local MLA Kulwant Singh said, “When I was the mayor, we had approved the budget and even the routes were finalised. We’re hopeful the buses will be operational soon. Initially, over 100 buses will be introduced in the first phase, which will bring relief to Mohali residents, who currently rely entirely on the CTU bus service. Residents have been waiting for this service for many years.”