The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) is set to receive 100 electric buses under the central government’s PM e-Bus scheme, with 50 buses scheduled to arrive in the first phase. An agreement between Citilinc and JBM E Mobility Company will be signed in the first week of November, officials confirmed.
Following the agreement, the operator will receive a start order, and the first fleet of eco-friendly buses is expected to begin operations on Nashik’s roads by the first week of January. “These new buses will make public transport cleaner and more efficient,” said Citilinc CEO Bajirao Mali.
Initially, 50 electric buses were proposed under the N Cap scheme, but as it failed to take effect, the central government brought Nashik under the PM e-Bus scheme instead.
JBM Ecolife Mobility Private Limited has been appointed as the operator, responsible for both supplying and operating the buses. Once the agreement is finalised, it will be mandatory to begin services immediately.
However, the project faced delays due to pending work at the Adgaon charging station, which is being built at a cost of Rs10 crore and is now in its final stage. The depot’s commissioning was delayed as it awaited an electricity connection from Mahavitaran.
Officials said there was an estimated funding gap of Rs3.5 crore, but following intervention by Municipal Commissioner Manisha Khatri, the state government assured that the final cost would be adjusted at a concessional rate.
Work on the 33KV power line from the Adgaon Mahavitaran centre has now begun and is expected to be completed within two and a half months. Subsequent feeder and electrical work will also take around two and a half months.
Mali said, “The agreement with JBM E Mobility will be signed in the first week of November. The remaining work at the Adgaon charging station will be completed in about two and a half months, and the e-buses will start running in the first week of January.”
The NMC expects the electric bus service to significantly reduce pollution and improve the city’s public transport system. Authorities have urged citizens to make full use of the new service once it begins.
