Assam: City Buses Continue to Flout Rules in Guwahati, Chaos and Safety Hazards on Key Routes

City buses in Assam’s capital, Guwahati, were introduced to make the lives of the daily commuters easier. It was something that was a necessity as the population bloomed in the city. However, the blessings over the years have turned out into a curse.

Commuters are increasingly frustrated by persistent traffic congestion, largely attributed to city buses disregarding regulations such as departure schedules and designated stops. These vehicles frequently halt abruptly in the middle of roads, disrupting flow and heightening accident risks for other vehicles.

People in the city, while saying that the buses are important, also termed them as a menace.

Evidently, these buses often ignore proper protocols, stopping wherever convenient without regard for the broader impact on traffic. This behaviour not only causes a series of traffic jams in the city, but they also pose serious dangers, as sudden halts can lead to collisions, especially in high-speed and high-traffic zones.

A particularly problematic stretch is the national highway linking Khanapara to Jalukbari, a vital six-lane corridor handling heavy vehicular movement. Here, buses commonly pull over mid-lane, oblivious to the speeding cars, trucks, and two-wheelers sharing the road. Such actions have turned this artery into a hotspot for potential accidents, with commuters expressing concerns over the lack of enforcement.

One particular stop here is the Lal Mati point. Vehicles tend to stop mid-lane on both sides of the road with no concern for safety.

Speaking to DY365, Ishan Parvez, a local resident, said, “These drivers seem to lack basic civic sense.”

He added, “They stop without warning, forcing everyone behind to slam on brakes. It’s not just inconvenient—it’s life-threatening on a highway where vehicles are moving fast.”

Ishan shared that a few months back, he met with an accident due to such reckless behaviour by a bus driver.

Narrating the incident, he said, “I was heading home from an official visit on my motorcycle. I was driving at around 50 to 60 kmph since it was evening. I was in the left-most lane, which is designated for slow movement. However, as I was riding, a bus came from behind at a very high speed, which I believe was above 80kmph or may have been at 100kmph and merged into my lane, hitting its brakes all of a sudden.”

He described that the bus stopped there to pick up a passenger without any concern for him or the tempo (a goods carrying rickshaw) next to in front of him.

“The tempo somehow managed to cut through the emergency lane as it had some gap, but I could not. I hit my brakes, but it was too late, and I hit the bus from behind and fell to the ground. Before I could get back to my senses, the bus fled”, he added.

Ishan was left with a dislocated arm, bruises on his body and a damaged bike that cost him over Rs 23 thousand in repairs.

He was not the only one. Bishnu Deka, a resident of Downtown, said that he faced a similar accident in September this year in the same place.

He said, “I work as a personal driver for a businessman, and it is my job to drive and take care of my employer’s vehicles. This means that the vehicles belonging to my employer are my bread and butter.”

However, Deka, despite being careful with the cars, met with an accident at the same point where Ishan had an accident a few months ago.

Deka said that he was heading to Nalbari and took the highway, but just in front of the BJP office near Lalmati in Basistha Chariali, a passenger van cut him off, and he hit the divider. Although no one was injured in the accident, the car (an Innova) sustained severe damage.

Deka added that while the owner acknowledged the issue was an accident, he was still upset with the new car being damaged. “I was, however, fortunate that neither my employer nor I was injured. While I was scolded for not being careful enough, my employer told me that the insurance would cover it all”, he added.

Deka also said that because his employer was a “good man”, they opted for an insurance claim. “I believe that had there been someone else, I would have been forced to pay the damages at the cost of my own livelihood”, he said.

Recent reports highlight similar issues across the city, including unauthorised bus stands and random halts that transform key areas like Jalukbari flyover, Khanapara entry point, Sixmile, Downtown and even Paltan Bazar into chronic chokepoints.

Even eco-friendly green buses, intended to improve urban mobility, have been criticised for contributing to the snarls through unscheduled stops. Locals blame these green buses for major traffic congestion in the city.

Traffic police have faced backlash for inadequate monitoring, with complaints to helplines yielding little action. In areas like Kamakhya Gate and Adabari, buses block lanes despite repeated alerts, further compounding the city’s growing population of over five lakh vehicles.

Some terms that the police and transport department have been implementing rules with no plans to impose them anywhere. 

A police official said that while they try to control the traffic scenario as much as possible, the buses still continue to break the rules. The official also claimed that there were too many vehicles for them to control and often not possible to man every junction or route of the city.