The Madhya Pradesh government has announced this massive undertaking in public transport that will make a difference for travelling all over the state. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has announced plans to restart the large-scale public bus services, a move that is seen as a major step towards reviving the Madhya Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation, which was shut down almost 20 years ago.
The new transport plan, dubbed the “Sugam Bus Service,” will be activated on August 1, and will have 2,432 buses operating on 620 routes in the initial stage. Eventually, the government will run over 5,200 buses in the state, which will make it one of the largest public transport system in central India.
The first phase will be available for the people of districts like Indore, Bhopal, Anuppur, Bhind, Maihar, Mauganj and Alirajpur and will be rolled across the state. Major cities will see a significant number of buses – 608 on 121 routes in Indore, 358 on 104 routes in Bhopal, 317 on 120 routes in Ujjain and 309 on 83 routes in Jabalpur.
The project will deliver affordable, reliable and accessible transportation for millions of users. After the state transport company was shut down in 2005, passengers have been relying mostly on private companies, which sometimes have poor services, unreliable schedules and high prices.
The resurgence in public transport by CM Mohan will increase connectivity between cities and villages, make travel easier for students and employees, and help to cut down on the reliance on private bus companies, officials say. The project is being considered as one of the biggest public transport overhaul agreed by the state government in the recent years.