Status: Not ApprovedHEAD: 24_Jai_AB_JCTSL BUSESByline: Arpit BasuJaipur to trial 9m and 12m e-buses on Feb 26; 60 more expected in 45 days Arpit.Basu@timesofindia.com Jaipur: By early next fiscal, hi-tech air conditioned e-buses are all set to run for the first time on the roads of the almost 300-year-old historic city of Jaipur. The Jaipur City Transport Services Limited (JCTSL) is expecting to get the first set of e-buses delivered within the next 45 to 50 days. Confirming the development, Narayan Singh, the managing director of JCTSL, stated that after successful prototype tests, two buses would conduct trial runs on Jaipur roads on Feb 26. If the trial run was successful, the first set of e-buses would be delivered by early April.“In the first phase we have ordered 150 buses through the Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL), a joint venture of public sector companies under the Ministry of Power under the Pradhan Mantri e-Bus Sewa Scheme. We are expecting around 40% of these 150 buses – that is, around 50 to 60 buses – to hit the Jaipur roads by early April,” Singh stated.JCTSL was procuring two types of AC e-buses, 9 and 12 metres in length.At present, JCTSL had a fleet of 200 buses and 100 of these buses would retire on March 31, 2026. The remaining 100 would retire on March 31, 2028. Earlier, when 100 more JCTSL buses retired on March 31, 2023, officials of the corporation were compelled to withdraw 16 pairs of routes.“This time the situation won’t be that bad. Besides 150 in the first phase, we have also placed orders for another 168 buses for the second phase of procurement. We are expecting deliveries of 318 buses within the next six months. Once we get all the 318 buses, we would rationalize all the routes as per the proposals mentioned Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Jaipur,” Singh added.To cater to a population of around one crore by 2055, the CMP proposed 10 corridors for standard buses and 15 more for midi buses. “Since this for the first time e-buses are running on city roads we are developing infrsturcture at our bus depots,” stated Singh.FOR GPHX, IF REQUIRED:THE WAY FORWARD *JCTSL is procuring 318 new e-buses – all air-conditioned – through CESL within next six month *JCTSL is upgrading its depots to handle e-buses and would add a few more new depots *JCTSL is also searching for lands to increase the number of busstands across the city from 143 to 293 *Under the CMP JCTSL would restructure all its existing routes. The plan proposes 25 corridors covering a length of around 450 kms *To cater to a population of around one crore by 2055, the Comprehensive Mobility Plan proposed 10 corridors for standard buses and 15 more for midi buses MSID:: 128754563 413 |
