Parliamentary standing committee on transport suggests overhaul of the state bus transport system

The parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture has suggested replacing the all India tourist permit with all India passenger permit issued by the state of first registration and enforcing it exclusively through VAHAN, FASTag and vehicle location data.

It has also suggested commissioning the monitoring centres, ending the border check posts in the six states where they persist, and placing the injured passengers’ claim beyond dispute, aimed at enhancing passenger safety.

Headed by Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar, the 392nd report of the committee on “Enabling Inclusive, Digital and Sustainable Bus Transport: Policy, Regulation and Public-Private Partnership for Next-Gen Mobility” was presented on Tuesday.


Besides, the committee has suggested separating terminal ownership from bus operation, constituting a dedicated terminals authority on the Airports Authority model frame of a National Code for Bus Terminals within one year to enhance passenger convenience.

“Notify interoperability standards within one year; a public live-tracking layer, a unified booking across public and private operators, a moderated crowdsourced rating system linked to the permit databases along with a cVIGIL-pattern citizen vigilance channel with geo-tagged, time-bound reporting of bus and terminal conditions,” it said.

For operator-centric safety, the committee has proposed a district-wise completion plan for automated testing stations within six months and verification of fire, egress and alert equipment at every fitness test so that life-safety standards reach the fleet in service.

It has also proposed an annual published ranking of states on bus transport facilitation, on verifiable parameters to help states improve their bus transport facilities.