Pune: Govt’s initiative to promote e-buses is expected to face a setback as the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) hopes to expand its fleet with an additional 8,000 diesel buses next year.Senior officials said the state transport body has received only 600 of 5,150 e-buses so far, and they do not know when these vehicles will join the fleet next year. The MSRTC’s plan to convert its diesel buses to CNG is also progressing slowly, with only 1,000 buses converted so far.“This year, the transport body received 2,475 ordinary diesel buses, and next year 8,000 more such buses will join the fleet. With this, the total fleet strength will significantly improve, resulting in more stops, destinations, and trips. Work is underway,” MSRTC’s public relations officer Abhijit Bhosle told TOI.In June 2022, the MSRTC had received its first electric bus. At that time, plans to get 5,000 e-buses within two to three years were announced. “At present, MSRTC is not procuring its own e-buses, and a private contractor has been hired. With 600 e-buses currently operational, we do not know how many more e-buses will join the fleet next year,” the official said.MSRTC’s has a total of 14,887 buses in its fleet. In Nov 2023, MSRTC awarded the contract to supply and operate 5,150 e-buses to Evey Trans Private Limited over a period of two years, which would run on lease by the transport body. The company, as per the terms, was to supply 1,935 buses by Jan this year, and the rest by June 2026. As the company failed to meet the terms, state transport minister Pratap Sarnaik announced the cancellation of the contract, only to reverse the decision in May. He stated that the buses were needed, and a revised schedule had been set. Earlier this year, state govt announced its EV policy with the aim of making Maharashtra an EV hub with 30% electric vehicles’ penetration.“Progress on EV front and the conversion of diesel buses into CNG is moving at a snail’s pace. The delays in acquiring the e-buses have forced MSRTC to focus on diesel buses, as the fleet size is weak and needs to be between 23,000 to 24,000 without further delays. The transport body will get the e-buses, but a time frame cannot be set at this point,” another official said, requesting anonymity.For daily commuters, the issue is the need for more and better buses. “Many of the buses are old and in a dilapidated condition. Breakdowns have become common, and the thin fleet has also led to buses not following the schedule. These things need to change, and the focus needs to be on procuring more buses, no matter the make. Commuters cannot be hassled time and again,” said Sachin Patil, a businessman who often travels between Pune and Kolhapur.
