VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has said all the new electric buses to be introduced by APSRTC should have AC facility. “Be it ‘Palle Velugu’ service, AC is a must,” he asserted.
Holding a meeting with the APSRTC officials at the State Secretariat on Tuesday, Naidu reviewed the roadmap related to the introduction of electric buses in the RTC.
The 1,450 buses to be purchased by the RTC in the next financial year should also be electric buses, Naidu said.
In view of Godavari Pushkarams in 2027, Naidu said EV charging stations should be set up in Godavari districts first, and directed the officials to invite tenders at the earliest.
Besides giving nod to introduce 8,819 electric buses replacing the existing diesel vehicles in the coming five years, Naidu said steps should be taken to convert the existing buses having more than eight years lifespan as electric buses. Top priority should be given to passenger comfort, he averred.
The Chief Minister stressed the need for introducing more buses to meet the growing demand for the Stree Shakti free travel scheme for women.
Naidu said the RTC should operate all electric and CNG buses replacing diesel vehicles by 2030 to protect the environment.
Centre to provide 750 e-buses to State
Emphasis should be laid on cargo transport to increase the revenue of the RTC on the lines of Railways, he said. Observing that electric buses help curb pollution, besides reducing operational costs, he said maintenance of electric buses should be given to private operators.
The officials informed the Chief Minister that the Centre will provide 750 electric buses to Andhra Pradesh under the PM-eBus Sewa scheme. It has been proposed to operate 300 more electric buses between Tirupati and Tirumala.
The pilot project of conversion of diesel buses to CNG by Think Gas company on Chittoor-Vellore route has yielded good results, they added.