Mumbai, June 1 (IANS) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday directed the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to set up a network of charging stations for e-buses across the state.

He asked the administration to vigorously implement the target of converting 100 of the state transport (ST) bus fleet into e-buses under the ‘Viksit Maharashtra’ initiative.

“Under the ‘Viksit Maharashtra’ initiative, the State Transport (ST) corporation aims to convert 50 per cent of its fleet into e-buses by 2029, 80 per cent by 2035, and achieve a 100 per cent transition by 2047. In line with this vision,” said the CM at a high-level meeting regarding the e-buses of the MSRTC.

CM Fadnavis stated that the routes designated for these eco-friendly e-buses should be analysed using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology.

He ordered that upon receiving the buses from the suppliers, their inspection must be completed within the next seven days. He added that an entire ecosystem needs to be developed for these buses, and private bus routes should also be studied to keep e-bus alternatives ready on those lines.

Under the state government’s current Electric Vehicle (EV) policy, promotion is being actively given to scale up the use of e-buses in the public transport system.

According to this policy, a provision has been made to grant a 10 per cent subsidy on bus costs, up to a maximum of Rs 20 lakh, for 1,500 e-buses. This policy plays a crucial role in developing an eco-friendly, sustainable public transport system in the state, the government release said.

The MSRTC is currently implementing an ambitious project of 5,150 e-buses under the GCC (Gross Cost Contract) model.

CM Fadnavis emphasised that this project will provide modern, comfortable, and pollution-free travel facilities to passengers in the state.

CM’s directives come as MSRTC manages a massive fleet of roughly 15,000 to 22,000 buses, which is the lifeline of rural Maharashtra. Transport department sources said e-buses cannot be swapped 1:1 with diesel buses because they require scheduled downtime for charging.

CM Fadnavis’s directive to use AI is meant to optimise route planning. AI algorithms will calculate grid availability, traffic patterns, terrain slopes (which drain batteries faster), and passenger loads to determine exactly where and when a bus should stop to fast-charge without disrupting the passenger timetable.

Under a GCC model (or dry lease), a private operator owns, maintains, and deploys the buses, while MSRTC pays them a fixed rate per kilometre and collects the ticket revenue.

While the GCC model reduces upfront costs for the government, Maharashtra has faced severe delays from private manufacturers in delivering these contracted buses. Because of these supply-chain bottlenecks, MSRTC intends to move toward owning its own buses outright rather than relying solely on private operators, making the setup of its own independent charging infrastructure even more critical, stated the transport department sources.

–IANS

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