Gurugram’s first public bus service flagged off by CM Khattar

Gurugram’s own city bus service, Gurugaman, was launched on Sunday, albeit with minor hiccups as the first bus carrying chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and other dignitaries stalled.

Khattar flagged off the first bus from an under-construction depot in Sector 10, near Basai Chowk, at 9.45am. “With the launch of this service, we have fulfilled a promise made to the citizens of Gurugram,” Khattar said. The chief minister, MP Rao Inderjit Singh, Gurugram mayor Madhu Azad and PWD minister Rao Narbir Singh, among other politicians and officials travelled in this bus up to Huda City Centre on Route 212.

So far, the service is operational only on Route 212, which runs in a circle from Basai Chowk to Huda City Centre and back, covering 25.1km. The route will run clockwise and counter-clockwise, with 51 stops in the clockwise direction and 44 in the other.

V Umashankar, CEO of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), the regulatory authority of the bus service, said Route 212 was picked due to its connectivity between old and new Gurugram. He added that the route will establish Huda City Center as a multimodal transport hub, which has been a priority for the GMDA.

Of the total 25 buses launched and allocated to this route, 18 were pressed in service on Sunday. “This will be the case every weekend. On weekdays, to accommodate increased passenger volume, all 23 buses will be deployed,” Umashankar said, adding two buses will always be on standby.

The service encountered some problems on the launch day itself. The first bus to leave the depot, in which the CM rode, had to be stopped mid-route at Huda City Centre due to engine issues.