Bhopal's electric bus service has entered its next phase as free passenger trial runs begin on Monday and will continue until the official launch on August 15. Officials confirmed that passengers will travel without paying any fare during the trial after a five day operational assessment. The initiative aims to familiarise commuters and fine tune service delivery ahead of the formal commencement.

Bhopal City Link Limited has designated Board Office Square as the central hub for the network and will deploy 10 buses simultaneously on two major city routes from the start of the passenger trials. The earlier phase saw five buses operate without passengers to assess route timings, traffic movement and operational efficiency. The passenger trial will enable adjustments to schedules and boarding procedures.

One route will link Bairagarh Depot and Kolar via Lalghati, Peer Gate and New Market, while the second will run from Depot Square through Board Office, Prabhat Square and Coach Factory before returning. Both routes are intended to serve key commercial and residential nodes and integrate with existing public transport links.

The service is being introduced under the PM-eBus Sewa scheme under which 100 electric buses are planned to operate on 10 routes across Bhopal by the end of 2026 and so far 21 buses have arrived. A dedicated e-bus depot at Sant Hirdaram Nagar will provide charging and parking facilities for operations and maintenance. Officials said the infrastructure will support phased rollout and long term use of battery electric vehicles.

The air conditioned buses feature digital ticketing and mobile app based pass systems to streamline fare management. Safety and accessibility measures include five CCTV cameras, AI enabled passenger counting, emergency and stop buttons, emergency hammers and an automatic hydraulic wheelchair lift on each vehicle. These systems are intended to improve passenger convenience and safety across the network.