Striving to make Assam pollution-free with sustainable transportation, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma flagged off 200 electric buses in Guwahati on January 1. The action is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s mission to introduce low-emission vehicles across Bharat cities.
In addition, Dr Himanta aims “to establish Guwahati as Bharat’s first city to be powered by a 100 per cent green public transportation system” by 2025.
The best feature of these electric buses is that the new brand is compatible for the divyang passengers.
The move, as emphasized by Transport Minister Parimal Suklabaidya, will take forward the efforts of the Assam State Transport Corporation or ASTC to mitigate carbon emissions, reduce pollution, encourage green energy and phase out older diesel-run buses.
This apart, the initiative will metamorphose appearance of city’s public transport into more cleaner and environmentally friendly one.
These buses, which will ply through 13 routes across Guwahati as well as adjoining areas and leverage utilization of smart technology for urban development, have been obtained under the Guwahati Smart City Limited project.
This launch marks Assam’s transformation as a progressive State by adopting electric mobility and contributing to the overall ambition of reducing the nation’s carbon footprint.
Bharat had approved 7,090 e-buses under the FAME subsidy scheme, with only 2435 e-buses operational on the roads at that time, as of October 30.
Delhi currently has the highest number of e-buses in the country with addition of 400 new electric buses to its fleet.
Electric buses in Assam are available in different configurations in terms of pricing, which ranges from close to Rs 8,25,000 for a 20-seater electric bus to about Rs 1,000,000 for a 15-seater electric sightseeing bus with a battery capacity of 225 Ah.
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