E-Shivneri buses have entered the fleet of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) after the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday afternoon, May 1, flagged off the bus service on Thane-Pune route.
Later in the evening, after the inauguration, the electric AC buses commenced its operation from Thane depot to Pune. A total of eight will be operating by weekend. And 100 e-Shivneris will run on the Mumbai-Pune route by year-end which will run between Dadar-Swargate, Dadar-Pune, Thane-Swargate and Borivali-Swargate.
The buses will start operating from Dadar as soon as charging stations are installed at the bus stand, Shine stated.
Moreover, MSRTC plans to replace all polluting Shivneri buses with electric Shivai buses which are also eco-friendly and provides noiseless riders to passengers. It will also have GPS and ramp for differently-abled. More than 5,000 electric buses will replace the polluting diesel buses soon across Maharashtra
In addition, Shinde launched the Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Swachch Sundar Bus Sthanak Abhiyan in which 580 bus stands will compete with each other and upgrade their premises to provide clean toilets, canteens and commuter waiting stands.
This will benefit commuters as they will get better services at the bus stands, said the CM, who also heads the transport ministry.
What are the characteristic of e-Shivneri bus?
Full AC, comfortable seats, mobile charging and lighting will be available for every passenger.
There will be a separate arrangement on the side of the bus for storing bags.
43 passengers can be accommodated in the bus.
Once the battery is fully charged, the bus has the ability to cover a distance of 300 km.
Electric buses enable pollution-free travel and help reduce fuel costs.
The ride is comfortable and this bus does not make any noise while running on the road.
Safety of passengers has also been emphasised.
Prices of e-Shivneri buses:
Currently, the ticket price of Shivneri bus running on diesel between Mumbai and Pune is INR 515. But operating cost of electric bus is less compared to diesel.
Meanwhile, a senior official said the state may also look into the possibility of reducing fares for Shivneri buses, but a final call will be taken by the MSRTC board.
While addressing, after the launch, CM Shinde said that the state bus ridership has risen by 18 times - from 3 lakhs in April last year to 54 lakh daily passengers this month.
Nearly 20 lakh women have availed 50% concession in state bus travel and the volume of passengers will increase in 2023. Besides, 97% citizens in the state have access to the buses. Around eight lakh students avail of free travel by state buses.
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