Though Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) buses carry nearly 25 lakh people throughout the state daily, the buses seem to serve the government more than the common public.

The transport department of the state revealed in the on-going monsoon session of the assembly that thousands of ST (state transport) buses were rented for government programmes, festivals, and fairs, with their rent amounting to ₹269 cr. However, ₹63 cr has yet to be paid to the GSRTC by the government. 

Buses rented for various govt programmes

₹116 cr was spent to rent buses for various CM and PM public programmes in the last three years. Out of which, only ₹98 cr was paid, and payment of ₹22 cr is still due.

Moreover, around ₹153 cr was payable to the ST corporation for buses rented by multiple government departments, out of which ₹112 were paid after continuous appeals from the corporation, and ₹41 cr is still due.

Therefore, the state transport buses were used with an effective amount of ₹269 cr, and the government has paid the department ₹210 cr, and the payment of ₹63 cr is still pending.

Passengers suffer when the buses are occupied by the state

For a state whose commuters highly depend on state transport, the frequency of buses arriving at the bus stations was severely affected whenever the vehicles served government programmes.

As a result, commuters get fewer bus options, resulting in the prolonged waits at bus stops.

Amid the decreasing frequency of buses, after a long gap of 11 years, the GSRTC increased the fare by up to 25% in Aug 2023. While passengers pay for these increased prices, a deficit of ₹63 cr remains unaccounted for.

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