The field is getting ready for the arrival of new electric buses in APSRTC. The central government has made arrangements to send 750 buses to the state in the first phase. The central government, which has completed the tenders for the buses, has completed the selection of the contractor.
Currently, the contract agency, which has also prepared the bus bodies, is making arrangements to send the buses to the state. After setting up charging stations, electric buses will start running in the cities of the state. The central government, which has launched the “PM E-Bus Seva” scheme for urban bus operations in urban areas, is preparing the field to send new electric buses to selected states.
The central government has called for tenders to introduce 10,000 electric buses in several towns and cities in all states across the country in the first phase. The contractors have also been selected. Electric buses will be available in the public, private and partnership model (PPP). The central government is spending Rs 20,000 crore to introduce 10,000 buses across the country in the first phase. Electric buses will be installed and run by contractors for RTCs in the states.
As part of this, the central government has decided to introduce 1050 buses in 11 cities of AP and is taking steps to introduce 750 electric buses initially. Out of the 750 buses to be received in the first phase, 129 are 9-meter long AC buses.
All the 750 buses coming to the state will be city AC buses. 100 city buses have been sanctioned for Visakhapatnam city. 50 buses have been allocated for Simhapuri depot and 50 buses for Gajuwaka depot. 100 buses have been sanctioned for Vijayawada city, and all of them have been allocated for Vidyadharapuram depot. Arrangements are being made to set up a charging station there.
100 buses will be coming to Guntur-2 depot in Guntur city.100 buses have been sanctioned for Nellore town, 50 buses for Nellore-2 depot, 50 buses for Kurnool-2 depot, 50 buses each for Kakinada, Rajahmundry, Kadapa and Anantapur bus depots. 50 city buses have been sanctioned for Mangalagiri Bus Depot to facilitate movement in the capital Amaravati.
50 buses will be coming to Mangalam Bus Depot in Tirupati. RTC has decided to set up charging stations in the depots where buses have been sanctioned. Officials are taking steps to construct these at the earliest. As soon as these are completed, officials are taking steps to put the buses on the road.
The center said that the RTC will have to pay a rental fee of Rs 62.17 per kilometer to the contract company. It has been clarified that 621 12-meter long AC buses will be received, and Rs 72.55 per kilometer will have to be paid. APSRTC has prepared detailed estimates for setting up depot infrastructure and power infrastructure at 12 depot locations in 11 cities in Andhra Pradesh.