Punjab adds 250 buses to state fleet as CM Mann promises 300 more on the way
Flagging off new PRTC buses in Patiala, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann says public transport expansion will create over 650 jobs and bring safer, more affordable travel to both urban and rural Punjab
PATIALA, 6 April 2026 — Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Monday flagged off 250 new buses for the Punjab Roadways Transport Corporation in Patiala, kicking off what his government is billing as the most ambitious expansion of the state’s public bus network in years.
Standing beside the newly inducted fleet, Mann said the addition was not merely about adding vehicles to a roster. “This is a significant step towards providing people with better, safer and more comfortable travel,” he told the gathering. “This will strengthen public transport and also create new employment opportunities for the youth.”
The 250 buses flagged off on Monday are only the beginning. The Chief Minister announced that a further 254 ordinary buses and 100 mini buses will join the PRTC fleet by the end of May 2026. Tenders for an additional 309 buses have already been floated. When all tranches are inducted, the government says more than 1,600 jobs will have been created across the various rounds of expansion — 681 from the current batch alone, and 928 more once the tendered buses arrive.
The announcement comes as PRTC’s finances show a marked improvement. Mann cited figures showing the corporation’s gross revenue has risen from ₹607 crore in 2021-22 to ₹927 crore in 2024-25, a jump of 53 percent. He said revenues are expected to cross ₹950 crore in the current financial year, representing nearly 57 percent growth since his government took office.
That growth, Mann argued, has come despite — or perhaps because of — the AAP government’s flagship policy of free bus travel for women. Since 2022, he said, PRTC has provided 34.63 crore free rides to women commuters at a total cost of ₹1,574 crore to the state exchequer. A separate scheme, the Mukh Mantri Tirath Yatra programme, has enabled over 9,500 passengers to travel free of charge to religious sites within and outside Punjab on air-conditioned buses.
Mann used the occasion to provide a broader accounting of his government’s spending in Patiala Rural constituency since coming to power four years ago. He said approximately ₹400 crore has been invested in development works across departments in the region. He listed spending on schools — ₹825 crore across eight projects under the School Education Department — as well as healthcare, roads, sewerage, flood control, and agricultural support schemes.
On the political significance of the event, the Chief Minister left little to the imagination. “To continue these development works at the same pace, we require the support and cooperation of all of you,” he said, adding that he was confident voters would back the AAP again in the 2027 state assembly elections as they had in 2022.
The bus flag-off in Patiala is widely seen as the opening salvo of the ruling party’s pre-election outreach in a constituency that holds symbolic importance for the state government.
