Chandigarh tourist attractions to have shuttle bus service every 5 minutes for Rs 10 per round trip

While speaking to The Indian Express, Director (Transport) Pradyuman Singh said, “Many tourists or travellers find it difficult to reach tourist spots. To facilitate them we have introduced this shuttle service. This service would be for Sukhna Lake, Rock Garden, Bird Park as well as the High Court.”

He added, “The shuttle bus service will run on weekends and holidays on a trial basis. The CCBSS will collect feedback from the public and make adjustments to the service as needed. These initiatives are part of the CCBSS’s ongoing efforts to improve traffic management and to enhance the visitor experience in Chandigarh.”

The Governing Body also directed the architecture department, in consultation with the engineering department and Chandigarh Traffic Police, to develop a comprehensive plan for parking buses at designated locations near popular tourist attractions such as the Sukhna Lake, Bird Park, Rock Garden and the High Court.

It was said that the engineering department will be responsible for marking parking spaces and putting up signboards to guide visitors. The CCBSS will also undertake a public awareness campaign to inform residents and tourists about the new parking arrangements.

Delhi pattern of bus queue shelters

Chandigarh has decided to implement Delhi pattern bus queue shelters for enhanced passenger experience. This was decided in a meeting of the administration Thursday.

A senior official said that “in significant decision aimed at improving the commuting experience for bus passengers”, the Governing Body of Chandigarh Administration has resolved to implement Delhi pattern bus queue shelters across the city.

Now these shelters will be designed with a focus on passenger convenience, safety and information accessibility.

Among the features at these bus queue shelters would be installation of CCTV cameras for enhanced security, static route maps to guide passengers, mobile charging points for convenience and dustbins to maintain cleanliness.

Also, it was decided to put up solar panels wherever possible to promote sustainability, architecturally designed artifacts to enhance the aesthetic appeal, PIS boards for real-time bus information, SOS contact numbers for emergencies, disabled-friendly features for accessibility and installation of advertisement boards for promoting government schemes. The implementation of these modern and passenger-friendly bus queue shelters will significantly enhance the commuting experience for residents of Chandigarh,” the official said.

The Governing Body was also informed that the proposal for the hiring of 100 e-buses (12 mtrs) as replacement for 100 TATA diesel buses of depot -IV of CCBSS has already been sent to the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs under PM-eBus Sewa Scheme.

CTU revenue goes up

The financial progress of Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) was discussed and the Governing Body was told that there is an increase in the revenue of CTU and CCBSS. As far as CCBSS is concerned, there is an increase of revenue of Rs 18.08 crore in the financial year 2022-23 as compared to 2021-22 and there is an increase of Rs 3.14 crore in the current financial year 2023-24 as compared to 2022-23. With regard to CTU, there is an increase of Rs 35.89 crore in the financial year 2022-23 as compared to the year 2021-22 and there is an increase of Rs 8.93 crore in the financial year 2023-24 as compared to the previous financial year 2022-23 despite 20 buses falling into disuse.