The Director of the Transport Department, Pradyuman Singh, issued orders on Thursday directing Chandigarh’s Transport Undertaking (CTU) to begin charging non-AC bus fares on its 160 buses on December 16. The AC and non-AC bus fares will once again be separate after February 15, 2024, when these orders will no longer be in effect.

The 80 CTU midi buses that are electric and the 80 that are CNG don’t have heating systems, according to the Transport Department. All AC units without heating systems stop providing AC services as winter approaches.

Consequently, non-AC bus fares will be applicable to these 160 AC buses from December 16 to February 15, just like in previous years. The Transport Department’s directive will be very helpful to people who commute by bus every day. People who take the bus every day usually buy monthly passes; they will save Rs. 200 thanks to this fare adjustment. People will feel relieved by this. Individuals who ride buses every day purchase monthly passes. The unification of prices will benefit them by Rs. 200, as the non-AC bus pass is priced at Rs. 700, while the general (monthly) AC bus pass is priced at Rs. 900. Students and employees of the government will also profit from obtaining the pass. In addition, people will be able to purchase a daily pass for Rs. 15 less. The cost of a daily pass for an AC bus is Rs. 75, while it is Rs. 60 for non-AC buses. Currently, these passes will be available for Rs 60 for both buses from December 16 to February 15.

Monthly passes are available for Rs. 900 for AC buses and Rs. 700 for non-AC buses. Students who want to get passes and government employees will also benefit from this change. In addition, daily bus passengers will receive a Rs. 15 fare reduction.

However, as the heating systems in CTU buses will be turned on after February 15, separate fares for AC and non-AC buses will be reinstated.

The transport department informed us that 80 of the CTU’s electric buses and 80 of its SML midi buses lack heating systems. All AC buses have their AC turned off as soon as winter arrives. Additionally, these buses lack a heating system. As a result, these 160 AC buses will have non-AC bus fares, just like they do every year.

Chandigarh Transport started operating 20 new air-conditioned buses for lengthy routes a few months ago. The transport department reports that these buses will travel from Chandigarh to Delhi, Uttar Pradesh’s Vrindavan and Agra, Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba via Una and Nurpur, Rishikesh via Ponta Sahib and Dehradun, Uttarakhand’s Kathgodam via Haridwar and Halwani, Uttarakhand’s Kotdwar via Haridwar, Punjab’s Mansa via Patiala, Haryana’s Bhiwani via Jind and Narnaul and Jammu, and Kashir’s Katra via Una and Tawara. The Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) is set to extend its fleet of buses to include 20 new HVAC units, enabling it to provide routes through neighboring states.