The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has put forth a proposal to the state urban development department to acquire 100 electric buses through the PM E-bus Seva scheme.
The state government had requested information on the current infrastructure, the required number of e-buses, and their designated routes.
The NMC was instructed to submit the proposal independently, without hiring a consultant.
In its proposal, the NMC explained that it currently operates a city bus service with 250 non-electric buses on 61 routes. To expand the service, an additional 150 buses are needed.
The NMC plans to deploy electric buses on all routes, particularly on busy routes from the Nimani bus stand to Nashik Road, Bardan Phata, and Symbiosis College, which experience high passenger traffic.
The civic body is also in the process of constructing a dedicated depot for electric buses with the capacity to accommodate 100 buses simultaneously. Land for this purpose has already been identified.
The depot will be equipped with an ample number of charging points to facilitate efficient charging of buses. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 25 crore.
Under the PM E-bus Seva scheme, e-buses are to be procured by private agencies, which will also operate, maintain, and manage the buses for 12 years. These agencies will be compensated based on a per-kilometer basis.
The Central government will provide Rs 24 per kilometer to the civic body for 12 years, with the remaining amount to be covered by the civic body.
The Center will initiate the tender process and appoint agencies to procure, operate, manage, and maintain buses in the cities selected under the PM E-bus Seva scheme.