Parent | Ministry of Transportation, Government of Himachal Pradesh |
---|---|
Founded | 1958 as Mandi-Kullu Road Transport Corporation ( HRTC 02-10-1974) |
Headquarters | HRTC Head Office, Shimla-171003, [1] Himachal Pradesh, India |
Locale | Himachal Pradesh |
Service area | Himachal Pradesh, New Delhi, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan |
Service type | Bus service |
Routes | 3,700 [2] |
Depots | 31 |
Fleet | 3,302 [3] |
Fuel type | Diesel, Electric |
Website | www.hrtchp.com |
Himachal Road Transport Corporation, also referred to as HRTC, is the state-owned road transport corporation of the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. [4] [5] HRTC provides bus services to towns and cities within Himachal Pradesh and the adjoining and nearby states of Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan. HRTC is one of the first RTC's in India to offer a facility for online booking of tickets for all types of buses.
The corporation was jointly founded by the Government of Punjab, Government of Himachal Pradesh and Railways as Mandi-Kullu Road Transport Corporation in 1958 to operate in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. The corporation was merged with Himachal Govt. Transport on 2 October 1974 and was renamed as Himachal Road Transport Corporation. [6]
HRTC has its corporate office at Shimla and four divisional offices at Shimla, Mandi, Hamirpur and Dharamshala, each having integrated workshop. It has 31 depots each with a regional workshop and 11 sub-depots. HRTC also owns 3 bus body building units along with 3 tyre pre-cure re-treading plants at Mandi, Parwanoo and Jassur. HRTC routinely upgrades driving skills of its staff and train new drivers at its Driver Training Institutes located at Jassur, Mandi, Taradevi, Hamirpur, Chamba, Sarkaghat and Kullu. [7]
Other than regular services connecting Himachal to Chandigarh, Delhi and Haridwar; HRTC operates buses on some of the highest motorable roads in the world. These routes include Leh-Delhi, Shimla-Kaza, Kullu-Kaza, Manali – Reckongpeo, Shri Chintpurni Ji - Khatu Shyam and others. The Leh-Delhi routes operated by HRTC is 1203 km long and is the longest route by any RTC in India with a travel time of approx. 36 hours. The roads to Keylong & leh are also termed as the world's most treacherous roads.
HRTC has a fleet of 3302 buses running on around 3700 routes within and outside the state & has categorized its buses into 5 categories as
HRTC was the first operator in North India to start Volvo services on Shimla-Delhi and Manali-Delhi routes in 2005 on trial basis. The total Volvo and Scania AB fleet currently stands at 100+ buses with daily buses running from Delhi to Shimla, Manali, Dharamshala, Joginder Nagar, Baijnath, Hamirpur, Nalagarh, Chintpurni, Jawala ji, Pathankot, Chamba, Palampur, Rewalsar, Bir, Rohru, Jispa, and Sarkaghat. Also some new routes are started from Chandigarh Airport to Shimla, Manali, Dharmshala. Also new route started from Mata Vaishno Devi Katra to Shimla. HRTC's 'Himsuta' bus fleet include the Volvo 9400 model made on B7R chassis and Scania AB Metrolink HD 12.0m. These 12 meter buses have ten rows of luxury semi-sleeper seats and charging ports. Additional facilities include free Wifi, entertainment on board and water bottles. The buses are also equipped with CCTV camera's for passenger security.
HRTC operates air-conditioned Deluxe buses with 2X2 seating configuration on all important routes including Delhi-Shimla, Delhi-Manali, Delhi-Dharamshala and others. The buses also run on a few intrastate routes including Manali-Shimla. Besides the 11.4 meter luxury Isuzu buses, this class also includes buses built by JCBL and Amar on 210", 243" and 222" WB chassis by TATA or Ashok Leyland. The buses are provided with 35 comfortable and luxurious passenger seats with pushback.
HRTC operates Deluxe buses with 2X2 seating configuration on Delhi-Dehra, Delhi-Shimla, Delhi-Manali, Delhi-Dharamshala, Delhi-Joginder nagar, Delhi-Baijnath, Delhi-Dharampur, Chamba-Shimla, Chamba-Deheradun, Deheradun-Shimla and Manali-Shimla routes. The buses are provided with 31 comfortable and luxurious passenger seats with pushback. Along with LED facility, charging ports are available for each seat.
HRTC operates 47 and 37 seater ordinary buses on all routes. The buses come in 2X3 seating configuration and ply on ordinary fare. The buses are manufactured by ACGL and Tata Marcopolo on TATA 1512 (BS3) and 1613 (BS4) chassis. In 2022, 150 New Ashok Leyland build by SMK Prakash added in the fleet with USB charging for every seat in 47 and 37 seat configuration, Moreover In 2023, 150 TATA ACGL buses also introduced by Government in 47 and 28 seat configuration, All are these buses complies BS6 emission norms. [8]
The bus are purchased from TATA and Ashok-leyland. The buses are provided with 2X2 passenger seats. The buses are fitted with digital destination boards. The buses are also fitted with air Brakes and power steering. and a new technology is added like automated doors etc.
Made by Ashok Leyland and Body by Prakash. Purchased in may/June 2022. Currently in operation.Some routes are Joginder Nagar-Chandigarh, Mandi-Delhi, Sundernagar-Chamba, Shimla-Delhi, Palampur-Delhi, Joginder Nagar- Ludhiana, Mcleodganj-Delhi, Manali-Jammu, Dharampur-Delhi, Hamirpur-Delhi, Dehradun-chandigarh, Poanta sahib-Delhi, Shimla-Dehradun etc. Seat capacity is 51. Buses are provided with 3×2 passenger seat. Air conditioning above every seat and 2 USB post in every column.2 cctvs, first aids and co2 cylinders. Bus is BS6 type and have 2 entry gates.
Made by Goldstone, the buses are capable of running 250 km on a single charge. However, that depends on road conditions and driving style. Apart from the zero emission completely electric, the bus also comes equipped with several advanced technologies. Named as ‘Him Tarang’ the bus runs between the Manali and Rohtang Pass as part of the state government's initiative to save the environment. It covers this 50 km route regularly which is very popular among the tourists. With the initiative, this electric bus is the first zero emission bus that runs at the highest place anywhere in the world. Also, recently it has been introduced in local routes in Shimla. [9]
Following are the HRTC depots Of Himachal Pradesh:
Himachal Pradesh is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterised by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks and extensive river systems. Himachal Pradesh is the northernmost state of India and shares borders with the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to the north, and the states of Punjab to the west, Haryana to the southwest, Uttarakhand to the southeast and a very narrow border with Uttar Pradesh to the south. The state also shares an international border to the east with the Tibet Autonomous Region in China. Himachal Pradesh is also known as Dev Bhoomi, meaning 'Land of Gods' and Veer Bhoomi which means 'Land of the Brave'.
Manali is a resort town, near Kullu town in Kullu district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is situated in the northern end of the Kullu Valley, formed by the Beas River. The town is located in the Kullu district, approximately 270 kilometres (170 mi) north of the state capital of Shimla and 544 kilometres (338 mi) northeast of the national capital of New Delhi. With a population of 8,096 people recorded in the 2011 Indian census Manali is the beginning of an ancient trade route through Lahaul (H.P.) and Ladakh, over the Karakoram Pass and onto Yarkand and Hotan in the Tarim Basin of China. Manali is a popular tourist destination in India and serves as the gateway to the Lahaul and Spiti district as well as the city of Leh in Ladakh.
Bilaspur is a town and a municipal council in Bilaspur district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.
Kullu is a municipal council town that serves as the administrative headquarters of the Kullu district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is located on the banks of the Beas River in the Kullu Valley about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of the airport at Bhuntar, Kullu.
Situated on the left bank of river Beas at an altitude of 1,800 meters, Naggar is an ancient town in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It was once capital of the Kullu kingdom.
Palampur is a hill station and a municipal corporation situated in the Kangra District in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.
Shimla district, known as Simla district until 1972, is one of the twelve districts of the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India. Its headquarters is the state capital of Shimla. Neighbouring districts are Mandi and Kullu in the north, Kinnaur in the east, Uttarakhand in the southeast, Solan to the southwest and Sirmaur in the south. The elevation of the district ranges from 987 metres (3,238 ft) to 4,500 metres (14,764 ft).
Ghumarwin is a town and a municipal council, near the town of Bilaspur in Bilaspur district in the North Indian State of Himachal Pradesh and is the second largest town of the entire district. The town is an anchor point for commuters between Bilaspur and Hamirpur and other parts of the state. Situated primarily between the Hills of Lower Central Himalayas, Ghumarwin is situated at an average elevation of 700 metres or about 2300 ft. above sea level. It is one of the biggest commercial centres of Bilaspur District and one can find all kinds of shops, stores, services etc. here.
Parwanoo or Parwanu is a municipal council in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is an industrial town. It has Himachal's biggest wholesale market. First in 3rd-category of Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan award 2023. It borders Panchkula district of Haryana, and is after the towns of Pinjore and Kalka on the Chandigarh Simla Highway. In fact it is separated by a river bed from the town of Kalka. Pinjore to Parwanoo is almost a continuous urban belt. From Pinjore there is also a road to Baddi, another nearby industrial town of Himachal.
Sundar Nagar is a town and a municipal council in Mandi district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It was formerly a princely state, known as Suket.
Himachal Pradesh, although railways and airways serve very limited transport needs, the road network of the state serves the transport needs of the people. Although, the geography of Himachal presents considerable challenge to the development of transport infrastructure, it has the highest road density among all the Hill States of India. Himachal also has 3 airports, 2 narrow gauge rail tracks and couple of other under-construction broad gauge railway tracks, but roads remain the main mode of transport.
The Sar Pass is in Parvati Valley of Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, a state of India.
Divya Himachal is a Hindi Newspaper of Himachal Pradesh, having circulation in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Chandigarh (UT). The newspaper was launched on 29 December 1997 and now has four editions namely Dharamshala, Shimla, Chandigarh and Punjab. The newspaper has its head office at Matour which also includes the "Samarpan Printers", the printing press from which DH is published. The second printing press was established in Baddi (HP) and became functional on April 1, 2017, extending the reach further. It covers all the areas of Himachal Pradesh with its two editions Dharamshala and Shimla. It is the only newspaper of the state with separate district pullouts that include Mera Kangra, Mera Bilaspur, Mera Shimla, Mera Solan, Mera Una, Mera Sirmour, Mera Kullu, Mera Mandi, Mera Chamba, Mera Kinnor, and Mera Hamirpur.
Mandi is a major city and a municipal corporation in Mandi District in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is situated 145 kilometres (90 mi) north of state capital, Shimla in the north-west Himalayas at an average altitude of 880 m (2,890 ft) Mandi is connected to the Pathankot through National Highway 20 and to Manali and Chandigarh through National Highway 21. Mandi is approximately 184.6 km (114.7 mi) from Chandigarh, the nearest major city, and 440.9 km (274.0 mi) from New Delhi, the national capital. In the 2011 Indian census, Mandi city had a population of 26,422. Mandi district is currently the 4th largest economy in the state. Mandi has the second highest sex ratio of 1013 females per thousand males, in the state.
Karsog is a town and municipal area in the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India.
Nagrota Surian is a town in Nagrota Surian Mandal, Kangra District, in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Nagrota Surian is 45.2 km from the district headquarters Dharamshala. It is about 260 km from the state capital Shimla. Block Head office is also available in Nagrota surian.
National Highway 3, or NH 3, is a national highway in India. It starts from Atari adjacent to India-Pakistan border and near Amritsar and terminates at Leh in Ladakh, via Manali in Himachal Pradesh.
Tourism in Himachal Pradesh relates to tourism in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. This is popularly renowned for its Himalayan landscapes and popular hill-stations. Many outdoor activities such as rock climbing, mountain biking, paragliding, ice-skating, trekking, rafting, and heli-skiing are popular tourist attractions in Himachal Pradesh.
Jahu is a village panchayat in Bhoranj tehsil, of the Hamirpur district, Himachal Pradesh, India. Jahu is on a trijunction of Hamirpur, Bilaspur and Mandi districts.
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