Amritsar: The Amritsar administration has decided to dismantle the dedicated corridor, platforms, and railings of the 600-crore-rupee Bus Rapid Transit System, paving the way for a major restructuring of urban mobility across the holy city. Under the revamped framework, public transport buses will transition away from the segregated central lane and operate alongside general traffic on regular city roads to free up carriageway space and resolve persistent road congestion.
Initially launched in December 2016 during the SAD-BJP regime, the mass transit project underwent several revival attempts, including fare concessions and free student travel schemes. However, it consistently struggled with financial viability and commuter adoption. AAP MLA from Amritsar South, Dr. Inderbir Singh Nijjar, pointed out that the central corridor layout proved inconvenient for passengers navigating to and from stops, while long distances between stations drove daily commuters toward auto-rickshaws. Nijjar noted that despite ridership touching 60,000 passengers a day at one stage, the network incurred operational losses of roughly 2 crore rupees each month, rendering it financially unsustainable in its original form.
City officials stressed that the public bus network itself is not being eliminated, but rather repurposed into a more flexible model. Amritsar Mayor Jatinder Singh Moti Bhatia noted that the existing corridor occupies nearly 30 feet of prime road space, severely bottlenecking vehicular movement on both sides. Removing the physical barriers will reclaim substantial road width for motorists while enabling buses to serve curbside commuters directly.
As part of the revised transit strategy, the authorities plan to introduce a fleet of around 100 electric buses on regular city routes by November. Infrastructure development is advancing rapidly to support the transition. In addition to the current depot at Verka, a new charging and parking terminal is being constructed at Mall Mandi at an estimated cost of 3.5 crore rupees, with completion targeted for next month. The new system will feature more frequent stops, reducing pedestrian walking distances and offering residents a more accessible, integrated mass transit network.
