Mukhyamantri Gramin Bus Yojana completes one year, regular bus services reach 850 villages for the first time

Raipur, October 3, 2026/ The Mukhyamantri Gramin Bus Yojana, launched to provide safe, accessible and regular passenger transport to remote forested and rural areas of Chhattisgarh, has completed a year of operation, with regular bus services now reaching 850 villages that previously had no such facility.

Launched from Jagdalpur on October 4, 2025, the scheme currently covers 106 selected routes across 13 districts in the Bastar and Surguja divisions, with 107 buses in operation.

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Over the past year, the 107 buses have clocked around 24 lakh kilometres across the notified routes. They currently cover nearly 17,500 km every day, serving a network spread over about 5,300 km. Individual routes range from 14 km to 105 km, with most seeing two bus trips a day.

Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai said people living in remote villages should have the same access to education, healthcare, employment, markets and government services as those in better-connected areas. The Mukhyamantri Gramin Bus Yojana is helping turn this into reality, he said.

Regular bus services are now reaching villages where such connectivity was earlier unavailable, enabling residents to travel safely and on time to schools, hospitals, haats, block headquarters and district headquarters. The scheme is also helping bring remote communities closer to the wider development network, he added.

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From 34 buses to 107 in a year

The Mukhyamantri Gramin Bus Yojana was launched in Jagdalpur on October 4, 2025, by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah in the presence of Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai. It began with services on 34 routes, connecting around 250 villages.

In a year, the network has grown to 107 buses across 106 routes, taking regular bus connectivity for the first time to 850 villages. The first phase covers the Bastar and Surguja divisions, with 50 buses serving 51 routes in Bastar and 57 buses running on 55 routes in Surguja.

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In Bastar, the service covers eight routes with nine buses in Sukma, seven routes with seven buses in Dantewada, 11 routes with 11 buses in Bijapur, four routes with four buses in Narayanpur, five routes with five buses in Bastar, 12 routes with 12 buses in Kanker, and eight routes with nine buses in Kondagaon.

In Surguja division, eight buses operate on eight routes in Surguja district, while Surajpur has nine buses across 10 routes, Balrampur seven across seven routes, Jashpur 16 across 16 routes, Koriya six across six routes, and Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur four across four routes.

Where pickups were once the only option, buses now run on schedule

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The scheme is designed to meet the transport needs of remote rural and tribal areas that lack regular bus connectivity. In several villages across Bastar and Surguja, residents had long relied on pickups and other goods vehicles for travel. Many were forced to undertake long journeys sitting or standing in open vehicles, a particularly difficult experience for women, children, elderly people and patients.

For private operators, running buses on difficult routes with limited passenger demand was often not financially viable. The Mukhyamantri Gramin Bus Yojana seeks to bridge this gap by providing state financial assistance to support regular passenger services on such routes.

Easier travel on Konta-Jagargunda route

The impact of the scheme is particularly evident in remote areas such as Sukma, where transport options remain limited. On the roughly 83-km Konta-Jagargunda route, the bus service has made daily travel easier for communities along the route.

A field assessment conducted in June 2026 found women travelling with young children and their belongings, while school students were able to commute regularly and patients had easier access to health centres.

The route is also helping rural residents take mangoes, mahua, poultry and other forest produce to haat markets and return home the same day. For labourers and young people travelling outside their villages for work, the bus service is providing a more accessible means of transport.

Buses also connect villages with local markets

The scheme is also strengthening the link between remote villages and local markets. Residents can take farm produce and forest products to haats, while essential goods can reach villages more easily.

Improved connectivity is supporting economic activity between villages, haat markets, development blocks and district headquarters. The bus services are also benefiting personnel stationed at security force camps along several routes. The impact extends beyond mobility, supporting access to education, healthcare, livelihoods, trade and local economic activity.

Government provides financial support for routes with low passenger numbers

To keep bus services viable on remote routes with low passenger demand, the state government provides operators financial support based on the distance covered. The assistance is Rs 26 per km in the first year, Rs 24 per km in the second and Rs 22 per km in the third year.

The support is available for up to three years, along with an exemption from monthly motor vehicle tax for scheme buses for the same period. So far, 107 operators have received Rs 5.77 crore in financial assistance.

The model allows private operators to own and run the buses and collect passenger fares, while the government supports operations on routes where regular services would otherwise be difficult to sustain. This also means the state does not have to purchase buses or set up new depots.

GPS tracking enables monitoring, payments linked to actual kilometres

Technology is being used to track bus operations and ensure transparency under the scheme. Every bus is equipped with a Vehicle Location Tracking Device (VLTD), allowing the Transport Department’s Control and Command Centre to monitor its movement.

The MMGBY portal offers live bus tracking along with trip, route and stoppage details. Operators receive financial assistance online based on the actual kilometres covered on notified routes, as recorded through VLTD reports. Regional Transport Officers verify the daily reports before approving or rejecting them. Passengers can also access bus schedules through the Bus Sangwari app.

Scheme set to expand to eight more districts in second phase

Following the implementation of the first phase, preparations are underway to expand the scheme further. The second phase will introduce bus services in Scheduled Areas covering 85 tribal development blocks across eight additional districts. The districts include Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai, Balod, Gariaband, Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi, Raigarh, Korba and Dhamtari.

Preparations are underway to bring 4,368 villages currently without bus services under the scheme. Around 14.57 lakh people are expected to benefit from improved transport connectivity. The second phase proposes the operation of 60 to 80 buses. To make travel more convenient, payment of bus fares through UPI and QR codes is also proposed.

Fare concessions for specified categories

The scheme also offers fare concessions to specified categories. Persons with visual impairment, intellectual disabilities, those unable to walk on both legs, senior citizens aged 80 and above, and persons affected by HIV or AIDS are eligible for a 100% fare concession, including for an accompanying attendant. Persons affected by Naxal activities and certified by the Collector are eligible for a 50% concession.

Chief Minister Shri Sai said the government’s aim is to extend transport services beyond cities and major routes to villages at the last mile. The scheme will be expanded to bring more villages without bus connectivity under regular passenger services, he said, ensuring that distance does not limit access to education, healthcare, employment and development opportunities.