Chandigarh, November 17, 2025 — Bus services across Punjab were disrupted on Monday as contractual employees of Punjab Roadways and Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) went on strike to press for job regularisation and cancellation of a kilometre-based scheme. The walkout, staged by workers from Punbus, Punjab Roadways, and the PRTC Contract Workers’ Union, forced commuters to turn to private operators for travel.
Commuters relying on free travel schemes were particularly affected. Balbir Singh, 55, from Tanda, said he faced difficulty returning from Hoshiarpur after his wife’s eye surgery. “We reached the bus stand in the afternoon and had already been waiting for half an hour when we found out that Roadways buses had gone off the roads at noon. My wife would have travelled free, but now we had to pay for a private bus,” he said.
At Punjab Roadways workshops, Punbus employees also held a protest. Union district president Raminder Singh said, “Our demands include cancellation of the kilometre-based scheme tenders and regularisation of contractual jobs. We are determined to continue until our issues are addressed.”
Later in the evening, the protestors suspended their strike after the government assured that Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar would meet union representatives on November 19 to discuss their concerns.
Raminder Singh, however, cautioned, “If our demands are not addressed, the agitation will be escalated.”
