MSRTC puts e-bus project on priority

Pune: The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has prioritised procurement of e-buses, for which 12 charging points are to be set up at the MSRTC’s head office at Shankarsheth Road in July.
The move comes at a time when the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has decided to scrap its e-bus project.
State transport minister Anil Parab said instructions were issued to MSRTC authorities to resume process.“We are looking for alternatives to diesel run buses and e-buses are need of the hour,” he said.
As per the initial plan, 50 e-buses were to run on four routes from Pune to Solapur, Kolhapur, Nashik and Aurangabad from April-end. An official of the transport body said they were looking to set up charging stations in Pune from July.
“The buses will be operating within a radius of around 250km and once fully charged, each bus can cover a distance of 300km,” the official said. “With e-buses, we expect that within a year, majority of our buses will be running on alternative fuel,” the official said.