Jaipur begins trial of AC electric buses; 300+ likely by June

Jaipur: With Jaipur City Transport Services Limited (JCTSL) beginning trial runs of new e-buses Thursday, the city is set to introduce air-conditioned electric buses on its roads. The trials will continue until Feb 28, after which the authorities will decide when to start regular commercial operations.As part of the exercise, modern electric buses measuring 9 metre and 12 metre are being tested for technical performance, battery efficiency, charging capacity and passenger comfort. Officials said the three-day trial will see the buses operate on major city routes to assess load capacity, charging time and real-time operational feasibility. Only after successful evaluation will the buses be cleared for regular service. The first e-bus was flagged off from Agarwal Farm around 11am Thursday. Two buses have been deployed for the initial trial phase. JCTSL Managing Director Narayan Singh said the buses are being introduced under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme. "Under the scheme, the state will receive a total of 1,150 electric buses, of which 675 were allocated in the first phase. Jaipur will get 150 buses in the initial phase. This will be followed by another 168 buses and then an additional 150 buses," Singh said. He added, "Preparations have been made to operate these buses from the Bagrana and Todi depots. In the initial phase, both depots will be allotted 75 buses each. A detailed technical report will be prepared during the trial, on the basis of which the final date for commercial operations will be decided." Currently, JCTSL operates 200 buses. Of these, 100 are scheduled to retire on March 31, 2026, and the remaining 100 by March 31, 2028. When 100 buses were retired in March 2023, services on 16 pairs of routes had to be suspended. "This time the situation will not be as difficult," Singh said, adding that 318 new electric buses are expected within six months. "Once all the buses are received, routes will be rationalised as per the Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Jaipur," he said. The CMP projects Jaipur's population to touch nearly one crore by 2055 and estimates the need for 10 standard bus corridors and 15 mini-bus corridors. "As electric buses will be running on Jaipur roads for the first time, we are also developing the required infrastructure at our bus depots," Singh said.