Commuters in Ludhiana endured prolonged waits for buses due to reduced fleet availability, as buses were diverted to a government event, leaving passengers stranded in cold weather.
Bus Delays Due to Chief Minister’s Event
Commuters faced longer wait times at the bus stand in Ludhiana on Wednesday due to many buses being sent to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s event. Passengers waited in the cold as 23 buses were dispatched, including eight from Punjab Roadways and 15 from the PRTC at the Ludhiana depot.
| Bus Source | Number of Buses |
|---|---|
| Punjab Roadways | 8 |
| PRTC | 15 |
| Total | 23 |
People from across the state were transported to the event on these buses. Sanjeet Kaur, waiting at the bus stand, said, “I have been sitting here for almost an hour. I am waiting for a PRTC or Roadways bus, as they have no fare for women. I am going to Amritsar.”
The bus stand was crowded with passengers, a stark contrast to regular days when bus traffic flows smoothly. Many of the waiting passengers were women eligible for free travel on government-run buses.
Rajinder Kumar mentioned, “We are going to Bathinda. My wife and daughter can travel free of cost on the government-run buses. So we will wait till one arrives. So far, we have only found private buses to Bathinda.”
Jagtar Singh, joint secretary of the Punjab Roadways, Punbus, and PRTC Contractual Workers’ Union, explained that many buses from Ludhiana and nearby depots were sent to the event. He noted, “So that affects the normal bus traffic. Buses from other depots are roped in to cover all routes, but with fewer buses, the frequency is affected and people have to wait much longer for the next bus.”
Ludhiana has been experiencing cold weather since Wednesday. The maximum temperature was 12 degrees Celsius, which is 5.1°C below normal. The IMD defines a cold day as one with a minimum temperature of 10°C or below and a maximum temperature 4.5°C to 6.4°C below normal.
While passengers complained about the long wait for buses, officials denied that any buses were sent for event duty. Navraj Batish, general manager of Punjab Roadways, stated that the local depot did not send buses on Thursday. “We had sent 7-8 buses to an event in Jalandhar yesterday,” he said.
