Employees of the state-run Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC), which has a fleet of over 2,200 buses, went on a day's strike on Thursday.
They joined the strike on a call given by auto-rickshaw and taxi unions against the central government's new bill on road safety and transport.
The strike hit the commuters hard and severely affected connectivity between cities, towns and the state's hinterland.
However, around 2,800 private buses are plying normally.
The HRTC is the important mode of transportation as it connects far-flung villages with urban areas in the state.
