Chandigarh: With the Chandigarh administration pushing for wider public transport coverage across the Tricity as well as other states and cities, the UT transport department has recorded a sharp rise in revenue across all categories of bus services over the past five financial years. Official data shows significant growth in earnings from long-route buses, Tricity services and electric buses, alongside environmental gains from the expanding e-bus fleet.The Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) has seen its overall income rise from Rs 102.2 crore in the 2021-22 financial year to Rs 178.7 crore in 2025-26. During this period, the transport department added new buses across categories, with the newer fleet equipped with multiple passenger safety features and improved facilities.Revenue from inter-state or long-route buses showed the largest absolute growth. In 2021-22, earnings from this category stood at Rs 57.07 crore. By the end of 2025-26, the figure had increased to Rs 105.04 crore, reflecting a jump of over Rs 47 crore over five financial years.The Tricity bus service also registered a rise in income. Revenue increased from Rs 33.6 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 53.06 crore in 2025-26, an increase of more than Rs 19 crore. However, officials noted that revenue from Tricity services was higher in 2023-24 and 2024-25, when the department earned over Rs 60 crore and Rs 62 crore respectively, before a slight dip in the last financial year.The most significant growth in percentage terms was recorded in the electric bus segment. Revenue from e-buses rose from Rs 1.7 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 14.2 crore by the end of 2025-26, registering an increase of over Rs 12 crore. The rise coincided with the steady addition of electric buses to the CTU fleet over the past few years.Apart from financial gains, the department claimed environmental benefits as well. According to official data, expansion of the electric bus fleet has helped the UT save around 28,785 tonnes of carbon emissions during this period.Officials attributed the improved performance to round-the-clock route monitoring, extensive use of technology, and better planning. “All CTU buses are GPS-enabled and monitored through the command and control centre. Revenue receipts and bus movements are tracked in real time,” sources said. They added that staff associated with low-revenue routes are questioned, and action is taken in case of anomalies, helping maintain discipline among drivers and conductors while improving overall efficiency. Box: Revenue from CTU in past five financial yearsFinancial Year—————Collected Revenue (In Rs)2021-2022————————–102.2 cr 2022-2023————————–152.7 cr 2023-2024————————–172.4 cr 2024-2025————————–179.03 cr 2025-2026————————–178.7 cr Box: Revenue from long-route buses Financial Year—————Collected Revenue2021-2022—————————–57.07 crore2022-2023—————————–90.9 crore2023-2024—————————–102.6 crore2024-2025—————————–107.6 crore2025-2026—————————–105.04 croreBox: Revenue from Tricity buses in past five financial yearsFinancial Year—————Collected Revenue2021-2022———————————-33.6 cr 2022-2023———————————-59.7 crore2023-2024———————————-62.9 crore2024-2025———————————-60.5 crore2025-2026———————————-53.06 croreBox: Revenue from electric buses Financial Year—————Collected Revenue2021-2022———————————-1.7cr 2022-2023———————————-11.01cr 2023-2024———————————-15.04cr 2024-2025———————————-15.9cr 2025-2026———————————-14.2cr Box: Buses with transport dept Bus category ——————————NumbersLong-route or interstate buses——————-199Tricity buses——————————————428Electric buses——————————————140 MSID:: 130370241 413 |
