CHANDIGARH, Nov 26 — Chandigarh will receive its first 25 electric buses under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme in mid-December, becoming the first city in India to take delivery under the nationwide programme, UT Transport Department officials said on Wednesday.
“Chandigarh will get the first lot of 25 buses next month,” an official said. In all, 100 electric buses have been approved for the city. A contract with the operator was finalised on November 14, and a prototype vehicle arrived on November 19 for testing.
According to the delivery schedule, 25 buses will be supplied by December-end, another 25 by late January and the remaining by February-end or early March.
The rollout aligns with the retirement of 85 diesel buses that completed their stipulated 15-year lifespan on November 19. These buses were among the fleet procured under the JnNURM-I scheme in 2010. CTU has diverted diesel buses from long routes to city operations to prevent service disruptions.
“We are ensuring commuters are not inconvenienced during this phase,” a CTU official said. Connectivity on long routes is currently being maintained through services of adjoining state transport undertakings.
The Centre has also cleared 328 more electric buses for Chandigarh, taking the total number of approved e-buses for the city to 428.
