Nagpur's Private Bus Ban Without Alternative Hubs to Hit Passengers Hard Before Festive Rush
The month-long order, issued by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Lohit Matani, targets all private buses without authorised premises in the city. Operators have just seven days to update booking portals with new boarding and alighting points. But thousands of passengers who booked tickets weeks in advance now face last-minute diversions, longer commutes, and higher costs — with no clarity on exactly where they will be picked up or dropped off.
In cities like Hyderabad, Pune, Surat, and Mumbai, similar restrictions have worked only because authorities first invested in satellite bus stations linked to city buses, autos, and metro lines. These hubs provide waiting areas, ticket counters, food stalls, and security. Nagpur, however, is attempting the same shift with no alternative network in place — a recipe for chaos that could see crowds spilling onto unmarked roadside spots near metro stations and choking peripheral roads.
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The policy also sits uneasily alongside a central govt-backed directive issued in April 2023 — and reiterated by Maharashtra Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar after a meeting chaired by state transport minister Pratap Sarnaik — exempting All India Tourist Permit (AITP) buses from penalties if stationary only for boarding or alighting. That exemption now directly collides with the local police's push to keep all private coaches outside Inner Ring Road, creating contradictory rules and leaving operators unsure which directive takes precedence.
Transport planners warn that such a ban, if implemented without preparation, risks simply relocating congestion rather than resolving it. "You can't just pull the plug and expect order to emerge. Without marked terminals, signage, and last-mile links, you're just moving the mess to the outskirts," one metropolitan transport official told TOI.
Operators say the sudden change will force them to improvise at unsafe, inconvenient spots on the city fringes, adding to travel times and risking accidents.
For passengers — especially elderly travellers, families with children, and those arriving late at night — the absence of lit, secure waiting areas is a serious safety concern.
Officials insist the restriction is needed to ease festive-season gridlock and improve pedestrian safety. But the lack of coordination between the traffic department, the state transport authority, and the local civic agencies has exposed years of missed opportunities to develop planned intercity bus hubs.
For now, Nagpur's passengers and operators will have to navigate not just congested roads, but a tangle of unclear rules and absent infrastructure in the busiest travel weeks of the year.
TRAVEL TANGLE
Ban applies between 8 am and 10 pm for all private buses without authorised premises inside Inner Ring Road
Operators have seven days to update booking portals with new pick-up and drop-off locations
No satellite bus terminals exist in Nagpur, unlike in other major cities
Policy coincides with festive-season travel surge for Janmashtami, Pola, and Ganesh Utsav
Overlap between state transport directive (protecting AITP buses) and police order causes enforcement confusion
Experts warn congestion may shift to outskirts without last-mile connectivity
Officials cite pedestrian safety and smoother traffic flow as primary goals
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