Gurugram likely to get 50 air-conditioned electric buses by January 2023

Gurugram: The city is likely to get 50 air-conditioned electric buses by January next year, Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and Gurugram Metropolitan City Bus Limited (GMCBL) authorities said on Friday.

A proposal for procuring 550 electric AC buses was approved in a state cabinet sub-committee meeting chaired by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on July 29. Of these 550 buses, 100 have been marked for GMCBL and the Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority (FMDA). The remaining 450 buses will be provided to other districts, officials informed.

Anju Chaudhary, chief executive officer, and director, GMCBL, informed that the Haryana transport department will procure these 50 buses and provide them to GMCBL for operating in Gurugram. “The transport department has already floated a tender for procuring these buses. A concessionaire will operate and maintain these vehicles for GMCBL,” she said.

Chaudhary further informed that these buses will become available for public use by the end of December this year, or by January next year. “These buses will be smaller than the 12m-long CNG-run low-floor buses which are presently operated by the GMCBL,” she said.

“GMCBL will only procure electric buses for Gurugram from now,” she added. Chaudhury also said that ticket rates for these buses will be the same as existing CNG-run buses, but their overall running and maintenance cost will be much lower.

According to GMDA officials, there have been ongoing discussions among senior bureaucrats to promote electric buses as part of the central government’s electric vehicle (EV) policy. They also said that the Haryana government might only opt for electric buses for mass transportation in every district in the future.

These electric buses will have the capacity of running up to 192km on a single charge. “This is an ideal range, and the actual range will be lower as these buses will run on city roads and halt several times at bus stops and signals,” an official informed.

He said that the concessionaire will be responsible for installing charging stations at two GMCBL depots in Sector 10A and Sector 52, apart from others as required. “These electric buses will be nine metres or less in length. This will further complement GMCBL’s plan of purchasing 100 CNG-run mini or mid-sized buses for operating in congested and narrow Gurugram roads,” the officer added. However, the plan to purchase these 100 mini and mid-size buses is presently on hold and subject to a state government decision.

At present GMCBL runs a fleet of 208 buses, 50 of which are dedicated to Faridabad commuters. Officials said that it is not clear if these 50 buses will be withdrawn and diverted to Gurugram or retained for Faridabad once the 50 new AC buses are procured.