Punjab to resume public bus services from May 20 with 50 pc occupancy

Public bus services will resume from May 20 on select routes within Punjab, Transport Minister Razia Sultana said on Monday as the nationwide COVID-19-induced lockdown entered its fourth phase.

She said that buses will be run at 50 per cent occupancy.

The Punjab government's move to resume public transport services came after the Centre allowed states to run buses in non-containment zones.

Curfew restrictions in Punjab were lifted on Monday while lockdown has been imposed till May 31.

To prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, some states had imposed further curfew restrictions, besides prohibitory orders issued under the nationwide lockdown enforced by the Centre since March 25.

We will resume bus services from Wednesday and at 50 per cent occupancy, Sultana said here, adding that if a bus has 50 seats, then only 25 passengers will be allowed to travel.

Bus services will be resumed only within the state and these will ply between districts, she said.

On May 16, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had announced that curfew restrictions will be lifted from May 18 and these would be replaced by lockdown guidelines till May 31.

He had then also indicated resumption of limited public transport.