In a recent interview, Rashmi Verma spoke with Mr. Victor Nagaonkar, President of Urban Bus Operations at Urban Glide, to understand how the company is reshaping the future of urban mobility in India. The conversation explored a wide range of topics—from modern operational frameworks for electric buses and the challenges of depot infrastructure, to optimizing route planning, implementing the GCC model, and leveraging technology for reliable fleet management.
Mr. Nagaonkar highlighted how Urban Glide combines domain expertise with advanced tools like real-time monitoring, predictive deployment, and smart scheduling to ensure punctual, efficient, and commuter-friendly services. He emphasized the importance of modular charging infrastructure, driver upskilling, and public trust-building through cleaner, quieter, and safer bus journeys. The company’s roadmap reflects a pan-India vision where scalable systems are paired with localized strategies to match the unique needs of every city.
With initiatives like the PM e-Bus Sewa program accelerating adoption, Urban Glide is not just meeting commuter expectations but also supporting India’s transition to sustainable mass mobility. The discussion makes it clear that innovation, collaboration, and people-centric strategies are at the heart of Urban Glide’s journey toward building reliable, future-ready public transport systems.
How is Urban Glide adapting modern operational frameworks specifically for electric buses to improve efficiency, punctuality, and overall reliability in city bus operations?
Urban bus operations have transformed dramatically in the past decade. With the modernization of buses and advanced technology also comes a rise in commuter expectations where reliability, punctuality, and comfort are now non-negotiable. At the same time, operators need efficiency, predictable costs, and high fleet uptime to sustain large-scale operations.
At Urban Glide, we see technology and domain expertise as the bridge between these two needs. By combining real-time monitoring, predictive deployment, and operational discipline, we ensure that buses run on time, routes are efficient, and downtime is minimized. This gives commuters a smoother, more dependable journey while giving operators the assurance of optimized fleet performance and cost efficiency.
What are the biggest challenges you face while setting up depot infrastructure for electric buses, and how are you addressing concerns around charging, battery range, and ensuring high fleet uptime under the PM e-Bus Sewa program?
Depot infrastructure is the critical backbone of any e-bus program. In brownfield depots, the challenge lies in integrating new-age charging infrastructure without compromising space for traditional operations. Greenfield depots, on the other hand, offer us the flexibility to design for efficiency from the ground up. At Urban Glide, we approach depot design with a focus on modular charging infrastructure, optimized parking layouts, and energy management systems, while keeping the size of the land parcel in mind.
How does Urban Glide approach route planning and daily scheduling to maximize the utilization of electric buses while minimizing downtime?
While schedules are typically provided by the Public Transport Operator, our role is to optimize deployment. We map every route against the state of charge (SOC) of the buses, identify opportunity charging windows, and align fleet allocation with peak demand periods. This approach not only reduces downtime but also allows us to manage power costs more effectively. Over time, as route-level data builds up, we plan
to use predictive models to continuously refine schedules, improving efficiency while keeping commuter convenience at the center.
From your experience, what are the key takeaways of executing the GCC model for electric buses, and how can this framework be scaled to support wider EV adoption in public transport across Indian cities?
The GCC model is accelerating India’s transition to clean mobility, from diesel and CNG buses. One of the key learnings is the importance of closely monitoring battery performance. Since historical benchmarks are limited, every deployment is an opportunity to build valuable data on range, life cycle, and behavior in Indian conditions. Another critical takeaway is the need for strong collaboration between operators, OEMs, and public authorities, especially on charging infrastructure and route design. If scaled thoughtfully, the GCC framework can help cities adopt electric buses faster by de-risking capital investments and ensuring that commuters benefit from modern, reliable public transport.
How are tools like real-time tracking, energy monitoring, smart scheduling, and data-driven incident response being used by Urban Glide to ensure smooth and reliable operations of e-bus fleets?
Technology is at the heart of Urban Glide. As part of the Cityflo and Globus Trans companies, we bring over a decade of experience in leveraging tech for bus operations. Today, we’re deploying AI- and ML-based tools for predictive maintenance, SOC monitoring, and incident response. Real-time tracking gives operators full visibility into fleet performance, while smart scheduling ensures maximum fleet utilization with minimum downtime. For commuters, this translates into cleaner, safer, and more punctual services, which is ultimately the true measure of reliability.
What strategies is Urban Glide adopting to hire and upskill drivers, technicians, and support staff to handle the unique requirements of operating and maintaining electric buses at scale?
The EV transition has created unprecedented demand for skilled manpower, particularly drivers and technicians. At Urban Glide, we’re approaching this with a dual strategy: expanding the talent pool by reaching out to new regions and simultaneously investing in long-term skill development. Our goal is to work with skill development centers, and training institutes to upskill drivers and technicians in EV-specific requirements
In what ways are you working to rebuild public trust and enhance the commuter experience by offering cleaner, quieter, and safer electric bus journeys?
Public trust is built on consistency. For us, that means ensuring buses are clean, drivers are professional, and journeys are reliable. We’ve invested in enhanced cleaning protocols, safety-driven driver training, and regular commuter feedback loops. More importantly, we believe it’s crucial to equip our drivers with an understanding of how their driving habits impact battery performance and commuter experience, creating accountability and ownership at every level. Over time, this builds confidence among commuters that they can depend on e-buses as a primary mode of daily transport.
What does Urban Glide’s roadmap look like for replicating your model in other Indian cities, and how do you adapt your strategies to match local infrastructure, commuter needs, and policy environments?
Urban Glide’s ambition is to scale pan-India, but with a measured approach. We are currently focused on stabilizing operations in select cities, building centralized systems that can be replicated easily, and developing playbooks for efficient rollouts. At the same time, we recognize that every city has unique commuter needs, infrastructure realities, and policy frameworks. To bridge this, we plan to pair our central expertise with strong local teams who bring contextual insights. This combination of standardized systems and local adaptability will allow us to expand quickly while maintaining commuter satisfaction and operational excellence.