In transition to environmental-friendly transportation, the UT Administration is likely to start getting 328 electric buses sanctioned under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme from October this year.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs had sanctioned a total of 428 electric buses for the city under the scheme. Out of these, 100 buses were sanctioned to replace the 100 diesel buses following their condemnation post completion of their operational lifespan of 15 years from Depot IV of the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU). Out of the 100 sanctioned electric buses for Depot-IV, 60 electric buses have already been inducted and are operational, while the remaining 40 buses are scheduled to be added by June, said officials.
At present, the CTU is operating a fleet of 140 electric buses on Tricity routes.
The delivery of 328 additional electric buses sanctioned under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme is expected to commence in October this year, as the ministry has floated e-tender for procurement of the buses.
Officials stated the UT Administration planned to replace all diesel buses with electric buses by the end of 2027–28 to promote eco-friendly, sustainable and green public transport in the city.
For the first lot of 100 electric buses, the UT Administration has signed an agreement at the lowest amount of Rs 61.80 per km with the operator. Under the hiring model procurement, maintenance and operation will be looked after by the operator, while the revenue will be collected by the department.
The 60 newly inducted 12-metre low-floor electric AC buses have a range of 224 km on a single charge. Their key features include a 400 mm low floor for easy boarding, especially for senior citizens, children and women; a power-operated ramp and electronically controlled kneeling mechanism for Divyangjans; seating capacity of 36 passengers plus driver and wheelchair space, with standing capacity of 20 passengers; passenger information display screens at the front, side and rear; and voice-enabled destination announcements.
For enhanced safety and monitoring, the buses are equipped with cameras to count passengers at both doors, five CCTV cameras, GPS devices, panic buttons integrated with the Command Control Centre of the State Transport Authority, and stop request buttons for passenger convenience.