PM Ebus Sewa: Trial Runs Of 21 Electric City Buses Start In Bhopal

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The wait for newly arrived electric city buses in the state capital is finally set to end, with trial runs of 21 e-buses scheduled to begin on Monday under the PM-eBus Sewa scheme.

"The first phase of trial runs for the 21 new electric buses will begin on Monday. For the initial five days, the buses will operate without passengers to test all technical and operational systems.

Passenger trials will follow and if both phases are successful, the buses will be inducted into regular service," said additional municipal commissioner Anju Arun Kumar. This may happen by August 15.

During the initial trials, officials will assess battery performance, charging efficiency, braking systems, GPS connectivity and Integrated Transport Management System (ITMS).

The exercise will also help determine charging intervals and operational logistics. The buses will initially operate on two routes, with one confirmed between Bairagarh and Misrod, while the second route is yet to be finalised.

100 e-buses planned for Bhopal

Bhopal has been allotted 100 electric buses out of the 500 being procured for Madhya Pradesh.

Although delivery was originally expected in January 2026, delays in the procurement process and appointment of the operating agency postponed the rollout.

So far, 21 buses have reached the city. Once all 100 buses are delivered, services will expand to 10 routes, including Sehore-Ratapani, Phanda-Mandideep, Bilkhiria-Sehore, Parvalia Sadak-Obedullaganj, Sehore-Katara Bypass and other key corridors.

Accessible, air-conditioned fleet

The 25-seater air-conditioned buses are equipped with automatic doors, CCTV cameras, panic buttons, fire alarms, GPS-based tracking and digital ticketing systems.

A hydraulic platform has been installed to facilitate boarding for persons with disabilities.

Each bus is expected to travel around 180 km on a single charge. Meanwhile, construction of the charging station and supporting infrastructure at the Bairagarh e-bus depot is nearing completion.