India: Gujarat flags off 70 e-buses for public transport
In Gandhinagar, the municipal corporation is operating the new electric buses on 18 routes. The service is free for the first 15 days, and thereafter fares will range from 5 to 30 Indian rupees (0.01-0.28 euros). Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has said that the state capital will receive 60 more electric buses in the second phase. Images and videos from the flag-off ceremony suggest the city is using JBM’s Ecolife e9 model.
The Ecolife e9 measures 8.86 m in length, 2.53 mm in width, and 3.29 m in height and has a 4.75 m wheelbase. It has a floor height of 40 cm and accommodates 38 passengers, including 25 seated passengers and 13 standees. It is equipped with a hydraulic ramp to ease ingress and egress for wheelchair passengers, as well as air conditioning and an electronic ticketing machine.
In Vadodara, the municipal corporation has also deployed the new electric buses on multiple routes and is charging fares between 5 and 30 Indian rupees (0.01-0.28 euros). These 30 e-buses also appear to be JBM Ecolife e9 buses.
According to a report from The Times of India, 20 more e-buses are on their way from Delhi and will join the fleet in Vadodara soon, marking the completion of the first phase. The city will induct 200 more electric buses by December, split equally between the second and third phases, Municipal Commissioner Arun Mahesh Babu said.
The 100 electric buses for Gandhinagar and 250 units for Vadodara will both join fleets funded under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) PM e-Bus Sewa scheme. The scheme has a total outlay of 576.13 billion rupees (5.3 billion euros) and is intended to support the deployment of 10,000 electric buses in 169 cities across India.
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