The Maharashtra State Transport (ST) Corporation has introduced its new Shivai fully air-conditioned e-buses on the popular Nagpur-Chandrapur route, enhancing passenger comfort to rival private travel services. Launched on Tuesday, the service has quickly garnered an enthusiastic response from travelers.
The ST Corporation has witnessed significant financial growth as passenger numbers surge on multiple routes. Despite this demand, the limited availability of buses has spurred high requests from various divisions, including Nagpur, for additional vehicles. In response, the ST Corporation has been deploying new buses incrementally. Two months ago, 25 buses were allocated to Nagpur district and 10 to Chandrapur, with Nagpur recently receiving an additional 13 Shivai e-buses.
The Nagpur-Chandrapur route sees the highest passenger volume, with buses often fully booked from morning until night. To meet this demand, the ST Corporation’s Nagpur division now operates nine Shivai buses daily on this route, each seating 44 passengers. The Shivai buses, which are fully air-conditioned, can travel up to 300 kilometers on a single charge. Charging stations are available at both Nagpur and Chandrapur, allowing for a total of 18 e-buses daily—nine departing from each city.
ST Regional Manager Shrikant Gabhane confirmed that the fare for the Shivai service will be competitive with private travel options, making it an appealing choice for passengers on this high-demand route.