Ahmedabad: The city is likely to adopt a plan to disallow Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) and private interstate buses from entering the city center. Instead, these heavy vehicles will be diverted to multimodal transport hubs currently being planned for the city’s outskirts.

The new strategy aims to transform how long-distance travelers enter Ahmedabad. Under this plan, intercity and interstate buses will terminate at peripheral hubs. From these points, the Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) and the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) will act as “feeders,” transporting passengers into the heart of the city.

The primary objective is to de-congest city roads which are currently struggling under the weight of an exponentially growing number of private vehicles. Officials noted that while road widths in the old city remain static, the number of registered vehicles has nearly doubled in some categories over the last decade.

To support this shift, the city is significantly bolstering its internal transit capacity. Authorities are targeting a fleet of 3,000 buses by the next financial year to ensure the city can handle the influx of passengers from the new hubs. Officials emphasized that “frequency is everything,” with plans to reorganize routes to ensure commuters aren’t left waiting for more than a few minutes.

In a significant operational shift, AMTS buses are now being integrated into BRTS corridors to provide faster, more consistent travel times. The implementation of this plan will be overseen by the newly formed Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA), which is designed to resolve coordination issues between different agencies like GMRC (Metro), AMC, and the state transport department.

To make the transition seamless for passengers arriving from outside the city,  the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) and a single mobile application will allow travelers to book their entire journey—from their interstate bus to the local Metro or BRTS—on one platform.  Metro stations, such as the one at Sabarmati, are being designed to connect directly with railway platforms and bus terminals through skywalks and foot overbridges (FOBs) to minimize walking distances.

The city will have 100% electric and air-conditioned fleet by 2030. The goal is to move the public away from private two-wheelers and cars toward a system that treats “transport as a service”.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is spearheading a transformative shift in the city’s public transport landscape, moving away from operating two separate bus systems toward a single, integrated network. This “Transport as a Service” model aims to eliminate departmental silos between the Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) and the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) to provide a more efficient experience for commuters. 

Plans are underway to refurbish BRTS stations, with tenders expected shortly for modern designs that may include solar panels to generate revenue and power facilities.