Nagpur: The Second Capital of Maharashtra is set to lead India’s electric mobility push as it prepares to receive 150 electric buses under the PM e-Bus Seva Yojana. While the full fleet is yet to arrive, trial buses have already reached the city and are undergoing test runs on various routes.
On Monday, Municipal Commissioner Dr. Abhijeet Chaudhari personally inspected the bus during a trial. Manufactured by JBM Auto, the buses are expected to be fully operational in the coming weeks. Chaudhari issued firm directions to ensure technical reliability, safety, and on-time rollout.
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Each 9-meter bus is eco-friendly, air-conditioned, equipped with fast charging, hydraulic ramps for differently-abled passengers, 25 seats, six CCTV cameras, and four LED display panels.
To support the initiative, charging depots at Khapri and Koradi are under development. While the Koradi depot is ready, the Khapri depot work is still ongoing, raising concerns about timely deployment. Both depots will support 75 buses each.
The project, funded by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, also includes essential electrical and civil infrastructure support via MSEDCL.
Present during the inspection were Additional Commissioner Vasumana Pant, MoHUA Deputy Team Leader Ram Paunikar, CIRT’s Shekhar Dhole, and JBM officials among others.
The buses may not be on the streets yet, but Nagpur is now under pressure to turn a promising pilot into full-scale execution.
The Municipal Commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari has made it clear that the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) will not accept even a single bus unless key design issues are rectified before delivery. During inspection, Chaudhari flagged major shortcomings in the bus’s current design, especially regarding accessibility and passenger capacity. While the model includes a hydraulic e-ramp and a side door to accommodate differently-abled passengers, the mechanism reportedly takes 5–10 minutes to operate, potentially causing delays on scheduled routes.
Additionally, the ramp’s installation has reduced the seating capacity by at least four seats, bringing it down to just 25. Chaudhari has asked the manufacturer, JBM Auto, to increase the seating capacity by at least four seats and lower the height of the bus steps to make boarding easier for senior citizens and differently-abled passengers.
He firmly rejected the company’s proposal to make these changes post-delivery, stating, “No rectification post-delivery will be accepted.” As part of a three-day trial run, the prototype will operate across various city routes to assess real-time functionality. The Centre has also sanctioned infrastructure funding to support the project, including HT and LT electric connections and construction works.
Nagpur currently operates over 400 buses on 129 routes, catering to 1.39 lakh passengers daily. This includes 230 electric buses, 112 diesel buses, 150 midi buses, and 45 minibuses. Of the city’s diesel fleet, 123 buses were scrapped, and 70 converted to CNG. To fully modernise its fleet, NMC has submitted a fresh proposal for an additional 240 AC e-buses.
