Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): City bus services on 16 new and previously closed routes in Bhopal are set to operate under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, allowing local bus operators to run services with their own vehicles.
The Bhopal Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Bhopal City Link Limited (BCLL) has invited separate tenders for the 16 routes.
The new plan has been prepared under the PM Bus Sewa initiative, with four buses proposed for each route, taking the total to 64 buses.
If the tendering process proceeds as planned, services on these routes are expected to begin from November.
Unlike the centrally operated electric buses already running under the first phase of the scheme, the new PPP model will allow private operators to deploy their own buses. Electric buses will not be mandatory under the new arrangement.
Under the proposed arrangement, operators will pay BCLL a monthly revenue amount.
The operator offering the highest revenue is expected to receive permission to operate a particular route. In return, BCLL will provide space at its depots for parking the buses.
The routes cover not only Bhopal but also several surrounding areas and districts. The model is already being prepared for implementation in Indore, following which Bhopal has begun work on a similar system.
BCLL officials said this approach is intended to prevent a single company from gaining control over all the routes and to provide opportunities to multiple local operators.
Proposed 16 routes
Route
From & To
B-39
Ratibad - RNTU
B-25
Sukhi Sewania - Bhojpur
B-28
Acharpura Industrial Area - Bilkisganj
B-31
Sehore - Katara Bypass Tiraha
B-33
Phanda - Mandideep
B-34
Bilkhiriya - Sehore
B-40
Karond Chauraha - Kajlikheda
B-41
Chirayu Hospital - Bansal College, Simrai
B-42
Kanhasaiyya - Ratibad
B-43
Kajlikheda - Ayodhya Bypass, ISRO
B-44
Mubarakpur Chauraha - Katara Bypass Tiraha, Jagariya
B-45
Nariyal Kheda - Jamoniya Kala
B-46
Tumda - Kankali Temple
B-47
Pebble Way Colony - Khajuri Sadak
B-48
Coach Factory - Bairagarh Chichli
B-49
Newari Road, Lalghati - Kanhasaiyya
Officialspeak
BCLL CEO Anju Arun Kumar said that the initiative is expected to improve connectivity between Bhopal, its outskirts and nearby towns while bringing local private bus operators into the city's public transport network.
