Bus services hit across Punjab as contractual employees launch strike

A major disruption hit public transport in Ludhiana on Friday morning after contractual employees of Punjab Roadways, Punbus and Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) launched a sudden strike. Their protest caused operations at the main bus stand to stop for nearly three hours, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded without any clear alternative.

The situation turned tense when the workers blocked the entry and exit gates of the Ludhiana Bus Stand. Police officers trying to open the gates clashed with protesters, and in a dramatic show of anger, a few union members climbed a nearby water tank to draw attention to their demands. Because the bus stand gates were shut, private bus operators had to park their vehicles on the road outside the Ludhiana ISBT, leading to traffic jams and long lines of passengers waiting in confusion.

The strike began early, around 5 am, after several senior union leaders were allegedly detained late Thursday night and early Friday morning. With government buses not running, office-goers, students and daily travellers faced enormous difficulty. Many reached the station only to find that none of the usual buses were available.

The workers were protesting against the opening of tenders for the kilometre scheme. Under this scheme, private contractors operate buses while only the bus conductor is retained from the original state-run workforce. The tenders were scheduled to open on Friday, just hours after the union leaders were taken into custody. Union members said the detentions were carried out to weaken their protest and prevent planned demonstrations across Punjab.

The shutdown also caused heavy congestion on the main road outside the bus stand. Private operators stopped their buses on the road to pick up passengers, as they couldn’t enter the bus terminal. This created long traffic delays and difficulty for people commuting through the area.

Union accusations and government response

Union representatives expressed strong anger over the detentions. Jagtar Singh, joint secretary of the union in Ludhiana, said that nearly 100 union members—including general secretary Shamsher Singh Dhillon and vice-president Harkesh Kumar Vicky—had been taken into custody before the protest began. He said this was done to stop the workers from holding peaceful rallies in support of their demands.

He explained that the government had planned to open tenders for its luxury Volvo and HVAC buses, and the union wanted to oppose this across the state. However, because many leaders were detained, the workers decided to shut down bus operations of both Punjab Roadways and PRTC immediately. He added that when workers in Patiala and Bathinda tried to hold sit-in protests, the police detained them as well. Some members in Patiala and Sangrur even suffered injuries during police action, he claimed.

Jagtar Singh stated that all bus services had been stopped since 5 am and that the strike would continue indefinitely until their detained members were released and their demands addressed. According to him, no buses from Punjab Roadways or PRTC would operate until the government responded fairly.

In a press release, the union claimed that the chief minister of Punjab had given a written assurance on July 1, 2024, promising that their issues would be resolved within one month. Instead of fulfilling that commitment, the press note alleged, the government used force to detain workers and leaders to break their peaceful movement.

Meanwhile, authorities in Ludhiana said they were trying to restore normal operations. Navraj Batish, general manager of Punjab Roadways in Ludhiana, said the administration was in constant communication with the agitated workers. He said that the individuals who climbed the water tank had come down and that efforts were being made to get as many buses back on the road as soon as possible. Talks with union representatives were ongoing, he added.

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Commuters pushed to private buses

The sudden strike caused chaos for passengers across the district. With no government buses running, people had to rely on private buses, many of which became overcrowded.

One lecturer travelling daily from Moga to Ludhiana said that Friday was extremely difficult. She managed to get on a private bus, but it was packed with passengers. Businessman Atul Mongia shared a similar problem—he had to reach Chandigarh by 9 am but could not find a government bus. All private buses were full, and he missed his appointment.

Ishank Sharma, a local resident, said he had to travel to Chandigarh to visit his unwell brother-in-law. When he arrived at the bus stand around 7 am, he found no buses running. He eventually hired a taxi, which cost far more than the regular bus fare.

The fleet composition made the situation worse. The Ludhiana Depot has 94 Punjab Roadways buses, but around 90% of them are operated by contractual staff—those who were protesting. As a result, only about 10 buses, which are run by regular PRTC workers, were operational. Similarly, PRTC’s own depot has 135 buses, but most are operated by contractual employees. Only 10–20% of these buses managed to run on Friday.

With such a high dependency on contractual staff, the strike brought the public transport network to almost a complete halt. Many passengers feared that if talks between the union and government did not progress, the indefinite strike could continue, causing prolonged inconvenience for thousands of commuters across the region.