Jalandhar will soon receive 97 electric buses. The buses will be operational soon; however, the exact date of the commencement of the services has not yet been revealed. It is anticipated that if everything goes as planned, then the bus service could start by the end of this year.
It is to be noted that this service has been launched under the PM e-Bus Seva Scheme - which was ambitiously launched by the Central Government. According to the reports, through this scheme, the central government aims to roll out around 50,000 electric buses across 169 cities by 2027. The bus service will be operated for the next 10 years under a public-private partnership, also called the PPP model.
Across Jalandhar, these e-buses will run on 12 designated routes, and the Municipal Corporation has started planning and developing infrastructure for the project. Certain reports have claimed that the bus depots and charging points will be installed near Lamba Pind Workshop and the Municipal Headquarters. Expectedly, all the civil and electric work will be completed within three months.
The tenders for the project will be opened on May 6, 2025, and the estimated rate is approximately ₹11.67 crore.
The routes and bus capacities -
The government has announced that the e-buses will be of three different sizes, including 12-meter, 9-meter, and 7-meter, and all these buses will be supplied by the Central Government.
Notably, a survey was conducted by a consultancy firm under the Jalandhar Smart City initiative, according to which a Detailed Project Report (DPR) was prepared. Following this, discussions were conducted, and 12 routes were finalized.
The overall cost of the project -
Accordingly, the total cost of the project is nearly ₹24 Crore, and out of the total, only 40% of the cost will be paid by Jalandhar Municipal Corporation; the remaining 60% will be covered by the Central Government - which covers the purchase of all 97 buses.
Be noted that it is not the first time that such a project has been launched in Jalandhar; previously, the Akali-BJP government commenced a bus service, but it was discontinued due to mismanagement and negligence by the authorities.
However, this time, it is anticipated that the project will be launched with improved planning, and the residents and the citizens will get better and more comfortable road travel. Notably, Mayor Vaneet Dhir is also making efforts to ensure the success of the project.