India: 49 bus‑station PPP draft
The Uttar Pradesh government approved a draft RFP for delivery of 49 UPSRTC bus stations under a public–private partnership and relaxed bidder eligibility norms in the draft. The approval and draft details were circulated in the government's social post. (x.com)
Uttar Pradesh’s cabinet has cleared a draft tender to redevelop 49 state-run bus stations through public-private partnerships in the project’s second phase. (indianexpress.com) The stations belong to the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation, and the state said they will be built on a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer model, which lets a private developer fund and run the asset for a fixed period before handing it back. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) Transport minister Dayashankar Singh said the revised framework lowers technical qualification requirements for bidders and extends project timelines to draw more investors into the bidding. The state also set lease periods at either 35 years or 90 years before the properties revert to the transport corporation. (indianexpress.com) Officials said the 49-station package could bring in more than Rs 4,000 crore of investment without direct spending by the state government. They said about 55% of each site will stay in public transport use and 45% can be used for commercial activity. (indianexpress.com) The government is pitching the rebuilt terminals as larger mixed-use hubs, with waiting areas, sanitation, VIP lounges, restaurants, shops, cinema halls and lodging. That commercial mix is central to the model: fare-paying passengers use the bus station, while developers earn from retail and real estate tied to the site. (indianexpress.com) This is the second round of the state’s bus-station overhaul. The first phase covered 23 bus stations, and the new round expands the program across 52 districts, including Agra, Barabanki, Azamgarh and Ballia, with other districts to be added later. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com; indianexpress.com) The cabinet decision came on April 7, 2026, alongside two land-transfer approvals for new bus stations in Narora in Bulandshahr district, Tulsipur tehsil in Balrampur district, and Sikandrarao tehsil in Hathras district. Officials said those parcels would be transferred to the transport department free of cost. (hindustantimes.com; timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The scale matters because Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation runs one of north India’s biggest public bus networks. Its own digital platform says it operates more than 11,485 buses, covers 123.35 crore kilometers and serves more than 43.29 crore passengers a year. (sugamyatra.up.in) The draft tender approval does not mean contracts have been awarded yet. It means the state has settled the bidding framework for the next round, and the test now is whether looser eligibility rules bring enough qualified private developers to bid for 49 bus stations at once. (indianexpress.com; timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
