As many as 61 electric buses will begin service in Nagpur in the coming year, bolstering the city’s green public transportation infrastructure. It is anticipated that starting in the second week of January, a total of 40 Olectra air-conditioned e-buses and 15 air-conditioned e-buses acquired by Hansa Travels from Smart City will begin service.
There are already six electric buses designed specifically for women (Mahila Tejaswini). Due to a lack of charging stations, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) can only operate 22 electric buses at the moment.
All 40 Olectra buses arrived in Nagpur in November following a two-and-a-half-year battle, according to the sources. However, the absence of power lines at charging stations prevented some e-buses from operating.
The Wardhaman Nagar charging station made it feasible for the 22 e-buses that are now operating on city routes to operate. According to reports, NMC spent 4.40 crore on the Wadi charging stations’ power supply.
A few residents of the area supported testing the 200-meter stretch of a three-phase electric cable in December. Later, the CEO of the Wadi Municipal Council and representatives from Aapli Bus engaged with the protesters and found a solution.