Trial run of six e-buses held in Srinagar
Sanjeev K Sharma
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Aug 24: Moving towards environmental friendly-emission free transport system, Jammu city in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir this month got a fleet of 12 small electric buses (e-buses) of 9 meter length out of the proposed 100 under the Smart City Project and these vehicles have reached Jammu.
Click here to watch video
One of these public buses can even be seen running on Jammu roads these days on ‘trial basis.’
“We have received a fleet of dozen e-buses and there are five charging stations for these vehicles at Bhagwati Nagar Yard of JMC while we are in the process of making new charging stations also,” informed Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) Commissioner, Rahul Yadav, who is also Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jammu Smart City Limited (JSCL) adding that designated routes and stops for these vehicles shall be finalized only after the entire shipment of 100 e-buses is received.
Earlier Yadav had said that of these 100 e-buses, 25 will be of full size (12 meter length) and 75 will be small buses (of 9 meters length) wherein the small buses will run within the city.
“These buses have been brought on Gross Cost Contract (GCC) with TATA which will run these vehicles for 12 years for us and we will only pay them cost per km while the driver will also be from TATA and the maintenance and electricity costs of these vehicles too will be borne by them (TATA),” he further said.
He also informed that JMC has also received 80 e-cycles which shall be put to public use after a flagging off ceremony after some days.
When contacted Jammu city Mayor, Rajinder Sharma informed that at an average 10 e-buses are reaching Jammu per week and it is expected that the entire shipment of proposed 100 e-buses shall reach Jammu by the start of November this year.
“After certain clearances from the Transport Department, the e-buses will be put to public use by the month of December this year,” he maintained adding that Jammu will get a new look when these smokeless and noiseless vehicles will run on the city roads.
Deputy Mayor, Baldev Singh Billawaria when contacted said that e-buses will largely reduce the level of air and noise pollution in Jammu.
Sources informed that these buses will be air conditioned vehicles with facilities of Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) Cameras for security and surveillance purposes and some of these vehicles will run within the city while others will move between Jammu and Kathua, Jammu-Udhampur and Jammu-Katra.
They also said that there shall be e-ticketing system for collecting fare from the passengers using services of these buses.
Meanwhile, Srinagar Smart City Limited today conducted the trial run of six e-buses in Srinagar, with approximately 50 buses expected to be made operational on city roads by the end of next month.
The trial runs took place on various routes, including Lal Chowk to Airport and Dargah to Lal Chowk, with Smart City officials on board.
Athar Aamir Khan, CEO of Srinagar Smart City Limited, also participated in the trial run by boarding the bus from Lal Chowk to airport.
Talking to reporters, the CEO mentioned that during the trial run, they operated buses on actual routes, which helped in familiarizing the drivers with the routes and stations.
“We also tested various parameters of these buses, such as charging and so on,” he further said.
The CEO also said that by the middle of next month, they anticipate rolling out nearly 50 e-buses and within next two months, once the trial run is complete, commuters will be able to use services of these vehicles.
The administration has already announced plans to purchase 100 such buses for Srinagar to enhance the transportation system.
These modern buses are meticulously designed to provide a comfortable and welcoming experience to passengers, with special attention to women’s safety. The spacious interiors make it easy for children and elders to board and disembark.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
