HRTC Surrenders 168 Routes; Private Operators Invited to Step In
The Himachal Pradesh government has mandated that new buses operating on routes surrendered by the Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) must comply with BS-6 emission standards. This move is part of a broader effort to improve the state’s public transport system while reducing environmental impact.
Private bus operators interested in these routes will be required to operate BS-6 compliant buses. However, if they possess buses that are less than 15 years old, they will still be permitted to run those vehicles. The government has also eased operational restrictions by removing the 60:40 condition, which earlier required operators to allocate 60% of their fleet to rural routes and 40% to urban routes.
This relaxation aims to increase the number of applications from private operators, ensuring more buses are available to serve both rural and urban areas. Naresh Thakur, Assistant Commissioner of the Transport Department, confirmed, “Private operators will need to run BS-6 buses on the 168 routes surrendered by HRTC unless they have buses under 15 years old.”
HRTC, citing operational losses, has returned several routes to the state, impacting 11 depots. These include 37 routes in Shimla, 9 in Rampur, 37 in Mandi, 10 in Solan, 4 in Sirmour, 6 in Hamirpur, 10 in Bilaspur, 8 in Una, 7 in Nalagarh, 32 in Dharamshala, and 8 routes from the Kullu depot. These routes, which have been handed over due to financial strains, will now be operated by private companies.
In response to complaints of irregularities, the Transport Department has sent the route list back to the HRTC, instructing them to review the allocations with Regional Transport Officers and submit a revised list. This move is expected to streamline the process and ensure transparency in route allotment.
