India State Restores Public Buses After 21-Year Gap

Millions of people in central India will soon have access to affordable public transportation again after more than two decades without it.

Madhya Pradesh, a state home to 84 million people, discontinued its public bus service in 2005 due to financial losses. For 21 years, residents have relied on expensive private options or dangerously overcrowded vehicles to travel between cities and rural areas.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced Tuesday that the state will relaunch comprehensive bus services starting in July. The new network, called Mukhya Mantri Sugam Parivahan Sewa (Chief Minister Smooth Transport Service), will operate 5,206 buses across seven regions.

The first phase launches in Indore with three service types. City buses will run 28 routes within Indore using 784 vehicles. Intercity buses will connect 121 routes linking districts across Madhya Pradesh with 608 buses. Interstate routes will operate 101 lines connecting to neighboring Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

The state is also introducing 150 electric buses in Indore as part of a national clean transport initiative. All seven regions will eventually have their own subsidiary companies managing local operations under a public-private partnership model.

The Ripple Effect

The return of public buses addresses a serious safety crisis. Without affordable transportation, many rural and tribal residents have crowded into pickup trucks and overloaded tempo vehicles. Several fatal accidents involving these dangerous vehicles have occurred over the past two years.

Women and families will benefit especially from the reliable service. Yadav emphasized his hope that women can safely travel on public buses for the upcoming Rakshabandhan festival in August, when sisters traditionally visit brothers.

The vast distances in Madhya Pradesh make transportation essential for daily life. District headquarters will now connect reliably to regional hubs, opening economic opportunities for people in interior regions who previously struggled to access jobs, education, and healthcare in larger cities.

Transport Secretary Manish Singh confirmed that 620 intercity routes have been mapped connecting all district headquarters to the seven regional centers. Work crews are currently developing infrastructure across the state to support the ambitious timeline.

A generation of residents will experience state-run public transportation for the first time when buses roll out this summer.