Jammu, Srinagar to have 200 electric buses with real-time tracking soon

The Jammu and Kashmir government announced on Saturday that it is all set to launch 200 electric buses equipped with state-of-art facilities which will also include a real-time tracking function. These electric vehicles will be made available in both the capital cities of the union territory, stated an official.

This decision of the state government to introduce these 100 eco-friendly buses each in Jammu and Srinagar is aimed at reducing air and noise pollution and dependency on fossil fuels. It also wants to provide better facilities to the people, added the official. These buses will be procured under the second phase of the central scheme Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and EV (FAME II). According to a report by PTI, tenders for the same have also been floated.

These electric buses will feature modern functions such as a real-time passenger information system (PIS), panic buttons for an emergency, automatic bus vehicle location system, CCTV cameras, public address systems, stop request buttons and online collection of fares through various mediums, informed the report. “The electric bus service will encourage commuters to shift towards the public transport system," said the official.

The Intelligent Transport Management System (ITMS) of these electric buses will be connected with the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) of Jammu Smart City Limited (JSCL) and Srinagar Smart City Limited (SSCL) simultaneously. Officials mentioned the Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation (JKRTC) will be rolling out the ITMS by April 30 and in the first phase, online ticket booking facilities will be provided.

An online monitoring platform will also be created at the city level for these electric vehicles to monitor parameters such as running kilometres, equivalent fuel saved in litres per day, and equivalent carbon dioxide reduction per day.