Overview
- Private bus operators cannot ply on inter-state routes reserved for a State Road Transport Corporation, the Court held in a judgment issued Nov. 4–5.
- The case arose from permits issued in Madhya Pradesh that overlapped notified routes into Uttar Pradesh, and the Court denied permission to run those services.
- Principal secretaries of the UP and MP transport departments were directed to meet within three months to work out modalities for reciprocal permits in the public interest.
- The bench praised a quantum leap in road infrastructure, citing smoother expressways, faster travel and last-mile connectivity that support economic growth.
- It called digitalisation a game changer with online booking and live tracking, noted early e-bus adoption, and flagged inconsistent service where aging buses still operate.