HighLights
  1. UPSRTC adds 72 new sleeper buses to its fleet.
  2. Buses will operate on 24 finalized interstate routes.
  3. First 30 contracted buses to start within two months.

Following a sleeper bus fire incident that claimed the lives of nine passengers on the Yamuna Expressway, the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UP-SRTC) has taken the initiative to stop passengers' dependency on illegal bus operations. The corporation has decided to operate 30 AC contracted sleeper buses in an initial phase.

UPSRTC has finalised 24 routes to multiple states. Two of the routes will be from Kanpur to Indore and Kota. The corporation has also invited tenders for contracting the buses. It is estimated that the corporation will begin sleeper bus services within the next two months.

At present, the corporation has a fleet of over 14,500 buses, including both conventional buses and AC and electric buses. However, there were no sleeper buses.

Private bus operators have been taking advantage of the absence of sleeper services, which are more comfortable for long-haul travel.

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Eight-year contract

Principal Manager (Operations) of the UPSRTC, Amarnath Sahay, stated that the contracted sleeper buses will operate to other states such as Rajasthan, Bihar, Delhi, Dehradun, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana.

Several companies have shown interest in the corporation's plan. The buses will be contracted for up to eight years to operate on interstate routes.

42 buses to be purchased

Transport Corporation will also purchase 42 new sleeper buses. Sahay stated that UPSRTC has also decided to purchase 42 new air-conditioned luxury buses for the convenience of passengers. These buses will be owned by the roadways. The goal is to add these buses to the fleet by the next summer season.

"The Transport Corporation has prepared a framework for operating buses on long routes as well. Initially, tenders have been invited for 30 contracted sleeper buses. One application has been received. 24 routes have been finalised. The contracted sleeper buses will begin operating within the next two months. After this, action is underway to purchase 42 new luxury buses. The cost of one bus will be around Rs 1.5 crore. The tender process has been started," Anil Kumar, GM Operations, UPSRTC.

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Routes

  • Kanpur-Indore
  • Lucknow-Jaipur
  • Varanasi-Indore
  • Barabanki-Dewan-Sitapur-Jaipur-Ajmer
  • Bareilly-Chandigarh
  • Gorakhpur-Delhi
  • Meerut-Ajmer via Delhi-Jaipur
  • Sonauli-Delhi
  • Lucknow-Agra-Kaila Devi
  • Lucknow-Pushkar
  • Kanpur-Kota
  • Ghaziabad-Ayodhya
  • Ayodhya-Kanpur-Indore
  • Lucknow-Gaya
  • Ghaziabad-Varanasi
  • Varanasi-Kota via Jhansi
  • Ghaziabad-Katra
  • Lucknow-Kota via Jhansi
  • Meerut-Kota
  • Lucknow-Indore
  • Mathura-Delhi-Katra
  • Ayodhya-Jaipur
  • Lucknow-Delhi (via Expressway)
  • Lucknow-Delhi (via Bareilly)

(With inputs from Nirmal Pandey)


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