CHANDIGARH, Nov 26— Chandigarh is set to receive its first batch of 25 electric buses in the second week of December, making it the first city in the country to get buses under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme, officials of the UT Transport Department said.
“We expect the first 25 buses to arrive by mid-December,” an official said. The Centre has sanctioned 100 electric buses for Chandigarh under the scheme. A contract with the operator was signed on November 14, and a prototype bus reached the city on November 19 for inspection and range testing.
As per the delivery timeline, another 25 buses are scheduled to arrive by the end of January, with the remaining 50 expected by late February or early March.
The transition to electric mobility comes as 85 diesel buses operating on Tricity routes were taken off the road on November 19 after completing their 15-year operational life. These buses were part of the 100 inducted under the JnNURM-I scheme in 2010.
To maintain services, the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) has diverted diesel buses operating on long routes to city routes. “We have put interim arrangements in place so commuters don’t face inconvenience,” a CTU official said. Long-route connectivity is currently being supported by transport undertakings of neighbouring states.
The Centre has recently approved an additional 328 electric buses for Chandigarh, raising the city’s total sanctioned fleet under the scheme to 428.
