Chandigarh to receive 25 electric buses by mid-December

The UT Transport Department is likely to get the first lot of 25 electric buses in the second week of December.

“Chandigarh will be the first city in the country to get the delivery of first 25 electric buses under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme,” stated officials of the department.

To move towards cleaner and modern public transport, as many as 100 electric buses had been approved under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme for Chandigarh. A contract agreement was signed with the operator on November 14 and the prototype electric bus arrived in the city on November 19 for inspection and range testing, stated the officials.

As per the delivery schedule, 25 electric buses are expected by the end of December, another 25 by the end of January and the remaining 25 buses by the end of February or early March next year, stated the officials.

On completion of their operational lifespan of 15 years, as many as 85 diesel buses operating on the Tricity routes went off road on November 19. To provide uninterrupted services, the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) diverted diesel buses operating on long routes to the city.

The CTU had procured 100 buses under the JnNURM-I scheme in 2010. Of these, 85 buses of Depot-IV completed their stipulated 15-year operational life, while the remaining buses will be condemned in February next year.

To ensure that commuters do not face inconvenience, the CTU has implemented interim arrangements.

Meanwhile, the CTU has been maintaining the long-route connectivity through services operated by adjoining state transport undertakings to ensure minimal impact on passengers.

The Centre had recently approved 328 more electric buses for Chandigarh under the PM-e-Bus Service Scheme, marking a significant milestone in its journey towards becoming a carbon-free city. With this, the total number of e-buses approved for the city increased to 428.