Nagpur to Roll Out 150 New E-Buses Under PM Scheme
18 Jul 2025 CW Team
Nagpur is gearing up to bolster India’s electric mobility drive with the planned induction of 150 new electric buses under the PM e-Bus Seva Yojana. While the complete fleet is yet to arrive, trial units from JBM Auto have already reached the city and are undergoing test runs on key routes.
Municipal Commissioner Dr Abhijeet Chaudhari recently inspected one of the buses and issued firm instructions prioritising technical reliability, safety, and punctual service rollout. Each 9-metre AC bus features fast charging, hydraulic ramps for differently-abled passengers, 25 seats, six CCTV cameras, and four LED display panels.
To support the deployment, charging depots at Khapri and Koradi are being set up, with the Koradi depot ready and Khapri still under construction. Each site will accommodate 75 buses. The project is backed by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and includes infrastructure support from MSEDCL.
However, concerns remain over operational readiness. During inspection, Chaudhari flagged serious design flaws. The current hydraulic ramp mechanism reportedly takes 5–10 minutes to operate, posing a risk of delays. Moreover, the installation of the ramp has reduced seating capacity by four, bringing it down to just 25 seats.
The Commissioner has demanded that seating be increased and the step height lowered for better accessibility, particularly for senior citizens. He rejected the manufacturer’s proposal to address these issues post-delivery, asserting that no bus would be accepted until all necessary rectifications were completed.
The prototype is being tested on multiple city routes over a three-day trial run to evaluate performance under real conditions. Nagpur’s current public transport fleet includes over 400 buses on 129 routes, serving around 1.39 lakh passengers daily. Of these, 230 are electric. To further modernise operations, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation has submitted a proposal for an additional 240 air-conditioned electric buses.