Gandhinagar, June 28 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is also the Member of Parliament from the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, on Sunday flagged off 40 electric buses under the PM eBus Sewa scheme in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi and other senior officials.

The launch marks the first phase of the Centre’s PM eBus Sewa initiative in the Gujarat capital, where a total of 100 electric midi buses have been sanctioned to strengthen urban public transport.

The buses will be operated by Gandhinagar Greenline Transport Service Limited (GGTSL), established by the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation.

The PM eBus Sewa scheme is being implemented across the country with an estimated outlay of Rs 57,613 crore, including a Central Government contribution of Rs 20,000 crore.

Based on the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, the scheme aims to deploy 10,000 electric buses in cities across India to provide cleaner and more accessible public transport.

The 40 buses introduced in the first phase are fully air-conditioned, nine-metre-long electric midi buses with seating capacity for 25 passengers and standing space for 13 more.

Each bus is equipped with a hydraulic ramp to facilitate access for persons with disabilities. Four seats have been reserved for women and another four for senior citizens.

The buses are also fitted with Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETMs), allowing passengers to pay fares using QR codes, UPI and other digital cashless payment methods.

To support the fleet, a modern depot and charging infrastructure has been developed at Sargasan at an estimated cost of around Rs 17 crore.

The facility includes charging stations, maintenance infrastructure and operational control systems for uninterrupted bus operations.

The buses will operate on 18 planned routes connecting Gandhinagar with surrounding areas, including Sargasan, Pathikashram, the Secretariat, Gandhinagar Railway Station, Mahatma Mandir, GIFT City, Chiloda, Dahegam, Kadi, Kalol, Chandkheda, Dhamasan, Naradipur, Sonipur, Kotha, Adraj Moti, Tintoda, IIT Gandhinagar, Dabhoda and Mansa. Fares have been fixed according to travel distance, ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 30.

Passengers travelling less than three kilometres will pay Rs 5, while fares are Rs 10 for 3-5 km, Rs 15 for 5-8 km, Rs 20 for 8-14 km, Rs 25 for 14-20 km and Rs 30 for journeys exceeding 20 km.

The Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation has announced that travel on the new service will remain free for the first 15 days after its launch to encourage citizens to use the buses.

Thereafter, children below the age of five will continue to travel free of charge.

According to the authorities, the introduction of the electric buses is intended to expand clean public transport options in Gandhinagar while improving accessibility, passenger convenience and digital ticketing facilities.

–IANS

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