One Year of Chief Minister’s Rural Bus Scheme Reaches 850 Villages

The Chief Minister’s Rural Bus Scheme, launched on 4 October 2025 from Jagdalpur, has completed its first year of operation across Chhattisgarh’s remote Bastar and Surguja divisions. Today, 107 scheduled buses run on 106 approved routes, serving 850 villages that previously had no regular passenger service.

In the past twelve months the fleet has covered roughly 2.4 million kilometres, with a daily mileage of about 17,500 km. The total network length is close to 5,300 km, with individual routes ranging from 14 to 105 km and most corridors seeing two trips per day.

The scheme started with 34 buses on 34 routes, linking around 250 villages. Expansion has been rapid: 50 buses now operate on 51 routes in Bastar, while Surguja runs 57 buses on 55 routes. Detailed allocations include 9 buses on 8 routes in Sukma, 7 on 7 routes in Dantewada, 11 on 11 routes in Bijapur, and similar patterns across other districts.

Beyond passenger movement, the service has become a lifeline for schools, hospitals, weekly markets and district headquarters. Farmers and traders use the buses to transport produce such as mango, mahua and forest goods to markets and return the same day, stimulating local economies.

State funding supports operators on low‑demand corridors with a kilometre‑based subsidy – Rs 26 per km in the first year, Rs 24 in the second and Rs 22 in the third – amounting to a total of Rs 5.77 crore paid to 107 operators so far. Each bus is equipped with GPS tracking, and payments are made on the basis of verified kilometre data uploaded to the MMGBY portal.

The government has also announced fare concessions for senior citizens, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, ensuring inclusive access to the service.