Overview

• The three‑day citizen‑led campaign staged gatherings in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai and other cities, urging authorities to prioritise buses as the backbone of urban mobility.
• Participants delivered a unified three‑point appeal seeking higher bus budgets, a pledge to double fleets by 2030 in million‑plus cities, and modernisation focused on safety and accessibility.
• Campaigners cite roughly 24 buses per lakh people nationwide versus the 50‑per‑lakh target, with estimates of a deficit exceeding two lakh buses and a significant share of over‑aged vehicles.
• City data highlighted Mumbai’s approximately 2,731 buses—about 15 per lakh people—as well as Pune’s plan for at least 6,000 buses with a 25% e‑bus share to meet minimum standards.
• Advocates argue buses carry far more passengers than metros and report heavy reliance in Bengaluru, yet no new government commitments to the doubling demand were reported.