Top News

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): After developing e-bus depots at Sant Hirdaram Nagar (Bairagarh) and Kasturba Nagar, the Bhopal City Link Limited (BCLL) is set to establish five more depots across the city to support the expansion of electric bus services under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme and has cancelled the plan of free passenger trial.

The proposal has received approval from the Centre, and BCLL has begun identifying suitable land for the new facilities. While the state government will provide the land, the selected concessionaire will bear the entire cost of constructing the depots.

According to BCLL officials, potential sites have been identified between Karond and Ayodhya Bypass, Kalapani in Kolar, Raisen Road, and near Deepdi village before Bangrasiya. Formal proposals for these locations will now be submitted to the Central Government.

Officials said the additional depots are being planned to ensure efficient operations and maintenance while providing inter-city coverage as the electric bus fleet expands.

245 E-buses planned in phases

Under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme, Bhopal is slated to operate 245 electric buses. The first batch of 21 buses has already reached the city, with 10 buses scheduled to begin commercial operations from Wednesday on two transit routes.

Initially, the fleet will expand to 20 buses before increasing to 100 in the next phase. BCLL has also floated tenders for the remaining 145 electric buses, completing the planned fleet of 245 buses.

Commercial operations begin on 2 routes

The first commercial services will operate with 10 buses on two transit corridors:

Chirayu Hospital - Board Office Metro Station - Bairagarh Chichli

Chirayu Hospital - Board Office Metro Station - Railway Coach Factory

Intercity routes also finalised

Unlike the earlier low-floor buses that operated only within municipal limits, the new electric buses will also serve intercity routes connecting Bhopal with surrounding areas.

The 12 approved routes include destinations such as Sehore, Ratapani, Bhojpur, Bilkisganj, Obedullaganj, Mandideep, Bagroda, Acharpura, Katara Bypass, and Gol Jod, significantly expanding regional public transport connectivity.

Official speak

BCLL CEO, Anju Arun Kumar, told Free Press that approval for the new e-bus depots has been received. Once the locations are finalised, further action will begin. Commercial operations with the first 10 buses are set to start within the next couple of days," she said.