Madhya Pradesh gets government bus service after 21 years; 351 buses stopped

According to official information, the government plans to operate 1,500 buses in the first year and add 2,500 to 3,000 buses every year. | Photo credit: PTI

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday restarted public bus services in the state. The service was discontinued in 2005 and the relaunch came after 21 years.

At a ceremony held on the birth anniversary of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) patron Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Mr Yadav and Mr Gadkari unveiled the ‘Mukhyamantri Sugam Parivahan Seva’ and flagged off 351 buses to be operated from seven cities from Bhopal’s BHEL Dussehra. The service was launched as part of the Madhya Pradesh Mobility Vision – 2030.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and other dignitaries during the inauguration of ‘Chief Minister Sugam Parivahan Seva’ and Prime Minister E-Bus Service at BHEL Dussehra Ground in Bhopal. | Photo credit: X/@CMMadhyaPradesh

The cities that will start operations under Phase 1 are Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Rewa, Dewas, Katni and Bhind with 231 intra-city and 120 inter-city buses.

According to official information, the government plans to operate 1,500 buses in the first year and add 2,500 to 3,000 buses every year. Overall, the government plans to operate 15,000 national and interstate buses on 3,500 routes by 2031 and aims to connect 75% of gram panchayats across the state.

Addressing the event, Mr. Yadav said the buses will provide a modern, affordable and safe mode of travel to the public.

Mr Yadav and Mr Gadkari also launched the ‘PM e-bus Sewa’ in Madhya Pradesh. It is a Union government scheme under which electric buses are operated on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.

Mr. Gadkari said the Center plans to deploy 10,000 electric buses at a cost of ₹57,000 crore under the scheme, of which ₹20,000 crore will be borne by the Centre.

“A total of 972 buses have been sanctioned in Madhya Pradesh so far,” he added.

However, several buses posted under ‘Mukhyamantri Sugam Parivahan Seva’ looked like old vehicles freshly painted with saffron paint.

Congress state unit president Jitu Patwari said: “The government is taking 10-year-old buses out of the scrap yard, refurbishing them with new paint and bodywork and putting them back on the roads – just to call it a big success. The government needs to tell the actual condition of the buses deployed, how their fitness has been verified and what measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of passengers.”

Published – 26 Sep 2026 01:28 IST