Buses in Chandigarh to don new look

October 4th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit flagged off 160 low-floor buses, including 30 air conditioned ones, here on Sunday. With these, the total number of low-floor buses plying on the roads of the capital has gone up to 763.

August 13th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - The Punjab Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) is holding talks with Delhi transport authorities to start a direct bus service from various cities in the state to the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital, Transport Minister Master Mohan Lal said here Thursday. "We have told them to provide proper parking space to PRTC buses and other facilities to buses entering Delhi.

July 13th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - Bus operators of private schools in the city continued their strike for the fourth day Monday against a government order making it mandatory for all such buses to install speed governors. Over 500 privately owned school buses were off the roads for the fourth day, posing problems to parents and school children.

July 13th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - Private school bus operators, on strike for the past four days against a government order making speed governors mandatory in all buses, Monday evening called off their stir after the Chandigarh administration formed a committee to look into their demands. The bus operators' association agreed to install speed governors by Sep 30, the new deadline set by the administration.

July 10th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - Hundreds of students here were affected as nearly 500 private schools buses went off the roads Friday against the administration's decision to fine and impound any buses plying without speed governors. The administration had given time till July 10 to bus operators for installation of speed governors.

July 5th, 2009 GAYA - Maoist set two buses on fire after hijacking them in Gaya district of Bihar, police said on Sunday. According to reports, Maoists torched the buses as the owner refused to pay them ransom.

June 25th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - The Chandigarh administration is all set to launch an exclusive bus service for government school kids by next month. This service - the first in the country - is being offered to them at a subsidized rate compared to private school buses.

June 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the Delhi Government has decided to start phasing out of Blueline buses from July onwards by replacing them with modern buses over a period of next five months. The Shiela Dikshit-led Delhi Government had announced last year that it would phase out the buses since witnessing a big public outcry over Blueline buses after being blamed to be involved in a number of road accidents involving several deaths.

April 14th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - As the autorickshaw strike called by various unions in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula continued for the second day Tuesday, putting thousands of commuters to hardships, the union territory administration proposed to create a uniform corridor policy in the tricity to reduce traffic hazards and pollution. 'Under the policy, it was proposed that 500 LPG run autorickshaws each from Punjab and Haryana would be permitted to enter Chandigarh and an equal number would be allowed to ply from Chandigarh to Mohali and Panchkula,' official spokesperson said.

March 22nd, 2009 CHANDIGARH - A leading automobile designing company, which is known for manufacturing poll campaign vehicles for top politicians in the country, Saturday surrendered nearly Rs.100 million (Rs.10 crore) following income tax raids on its offices and other establishments, officials said. Income Tax department officials said the amount of Rs.100 million was surrendered by the JCBL group following a two-day survey at its offices and other establishments located in Chandigarh and nearby towns of Lalru in Punjab and Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh.

February 5th, 2009 AHMEDABAD - The Gujarat State Road Transport Corp will buy 1,500 Volvo AC buses to attract more passengers, an official said here Friday. The new buses, adding to the existing fleet of 7,300 buses, will cover more routes, said GSRTC secretary P.D.

January 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) Friday clarified that there was no shortage of compressed natural gas (CNG) and it had run 100 more buses than usual. 'There is no shortage of CNG supply for our buses.

December 31st, 2008 CHANDIGARH - It is not only the increasing number of vehicles on Chandigarh roads that is creating problems for traffic police here but also the rising number of electronically-powered bikes, better known as e-bikes, which do not require any license or registration to operate. 'In 2008 there were many accidents involving the e-bikes on the city roads.

December 25th, 2008 NEW DELHI - The Delhi government Friday said 100 Blueline buses, termed as 'killer' buses for causing a large number of deaths on the city's roads, would be phased out every month starting from March next year. The government will eventually phase out all Blueline buses, said Delhi Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely.

December 25th, 2008 NEW DELHI - As the Delhi government announced it would phase out 100 Blueline buses every month starting from March next year, the authorities Friday impounded over 150 of these privately-owned buses and cancelled their licences. The Delhi Police spokesperson said permits of 158 Blueline buses were cancelled for flouting norms.