UP govt to deploy 1,725 electric buses in 18 cities under GCC model

The Uttar Pradesh government will deploy 1,725 air-conditioned electric buses across 18 major cities, including Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra and Kanpur, to improve urban transport.

 

The state Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday, approved the operation of the buses under the gross cost contract (GCC) model as part of efforts to strengthen urban transport.

 

The buses will operate in Agra, Aligarh, Ayodhya, Bareilly, Firozabad, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mathura-Vrindavan, Meerut, Moradabad, Prayagraj, Shahjahanpur, Saharanpur, Varanasi and Noida, including Jewar. The fleet will comprise nine-metre and 12-metre air-conditioned electric buses. The contract period will be 12 years from the start of commercial operations.

  

Urban Development Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma said 1,725 additional electric buses would soon be deployed across the 18 cities.

 

Of these, Lucknow and Kanpur will get 300 buses each, Varanasi 250, Gorakhpur 150, and Agra, Ghaziabad, Meerut and Noida, including Jewar, 100 each. Mathura-Vrindavan, Ayodhya and Prayagraj will get 50 buses each, while Aligarh, Firozabad, Shahjahanpur, Bareilly, Moradabad, Saharanpur and Jhansi will get 25 each.

 

Under the GCC model, private operators will be responsible for procuring the buses, providing chargers required for charging stations, deploying drivers and technical personnel, and operating and maintaining the fleet.

 

Operators will be paid operation and maintenance fees based on prescribed performance standards, while fares or user charges will be determined by the government.

 

The government has decided to provide a subsidy of ₹40 lakh for each 12-metre electric bus and ₹35 lakh for each nine-metre bus. The municipal corporations concerned and the Noida Authority will provide land free of cost, as required, for the construction of bus depots.

 

Sharma said private investment would reduce the government’s expenditure burden on bus operations while improving service quality. Private operators would be expected to focus on efficiency, punctuality and passenger satisfaction, he said.

 

Operators will be selected through a tendering process. Competition among private operators is also expected to encourage the adoption of newer technology and improvements in services, directly benefiting passengers.

 

Sharma said that, in accordance with the transport department’s policy for the procurement of new electric buses, it was proposed to give preference to buses manufactured in Uttar Pradesh at the L-1 rate.

 

The move is expected to support industries involved in bus manufacturing and supply in the state and create new employment opportunities locally.