The deployment marks the second phase of adoption of electric buses in Gandhinagar under the PM e-Bus Sewa programme. Gujarat commissioned 40 units in the first phase in June, and the latest addition takes the state capital’s total under the scheme to 70. Gandhinagar Greenline Transport Service Limited (GGTSL), a specially established entity by the city’s municipal corporation, manages this fleet.
Like the first batch, the 30 newly deployed units are all nine-metre Ecolife e9 electric buses sourced from JBM Buses and have the same configuration. The company manufactures this model in multiple configurations, and the 70 units plying on Gandhinagar roads can accommodate 38 commuters, including 25 seated and 13 standing.
The electric midibuses feature air conditioning, a CCTV camera, a wheelchair ramp, a passenger information screen and electronic ticket vending machines (ETM). Four seats are reserved for women and have pink upholstery to distinguish them from the others. JBM Auto is likely to have equipped this fleet with a 212 kW permanent magnet synchronous motor and a 210 kWh LFP battery offering a range of over 200 kilometres.
Gandhinagar will receive 30 more electric buses under the PM e-Bus Sewa program in the future, taking its total to 100. Seven other cities in Gujarat will also benefit from the programme, including Rajkot (100 units), Vadodara (250 units), Bhavnagar (100 units), Jamnagar (50 units), Junagadh (50 units), Navsari (20 units) and Gandhidham (80 units). In total, the State will acquire 750 electric buses under the plan.
Across India, the PM E-Bus Scheme aims to support the deployment of 10,000 electric buses in cities with a population of up to four million. In cities with a population of more than four million, the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) is providing support for up to 14,028 electric buses under a separate PM E-Drive programme.
gujaratinformation.gujarat.gov.in
