Two hundred e-buses will start plying in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir from July this year for which different routes have been identified in Jammu, while the process of identification is going on in Kashmir.
J&K is procuring 200 e-buses, 100 each for Jammu and Kashmir, to provide better and cheaper transport facilities, especially to the remote and unconnected areas of the UT.
“200 e-buses for Jammu and Kashmir will be procured by the month of July this year and will be made operational in one go,” General Manager (GM), Jammu Smart City Limited (JSCL), Ashish Anand told Rising Kashmir, adding, “These e-buses will cover different districts of both Jammu and Kashmir besides covering both the cities.”
The aim is to provide eco-friendly and cheaper transport facilities to the people of J&K, he said, adding that most of the remote and unconnected areas of J&K will be provided transport facilities with cheaper rates.
Anand said all the 200 e-buses have been designed as per the urban standard followed all over the world. He said e-buses are being designed in Karnataka and will be brought to J&K in phases due to transportation compulsions.
These 200 e-buses will be of 2 different sizes and of different seating capacities. Some e-buses will be 9 metre in length with 23 seats, while some will be 12 metre in length with 33 seats.
Keeping in view the varied climate in Jammu and Kashmir, these eco-friendly buses will have both heating and cooling (AC) systems besides being equipped with cameras to keep a close watch on the passengers’ movement.
In Jammu, the government has identified different routes in various districts for plying e-buses.
“The routes for e-buses have been identified in Jammu and will soon be approved keeping in view the transport requirement of each district,” the GM JSCL said.
Katra (Reasi district), Samba, Udhampur, Rajouri, Kathua, RS Pura, Akhnoor and some other areas have so far been identified, while some other districts and areas outside the city, etc are being considered for plying of e-buses, he added.
The charging stations for the e-buses will also be put in place along the routes. Once fully charged, an e-bus can cover a distance of around 200 kilometres.