Jammu, Nov 06 (KNO): A significant portion of Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation’s electric bus fleet has gone off the roads, with officials confirming that more than half of the e-buses operating in Jammu city have been grounded for months due to high maintenance costs and a lack of mechanical staff.
As per the reports obtained by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), JKSRTC operates 20 electric buses in Jammu.
Over ten have been lying idle in the yard for almost a year. Most have faulty compressors. Some have flat tyres.
According to employees, many of these faults were not attended to on time, which pushed the buses out of service and turned them into scrap.
JKSRTC had purchased 40 e-buses from Tata Motors in 2019, with 20 allocated to Jammu and 20 to Srinagar. Six years later, as per the official sources, the fleet in Jammu is facing serious operational problems.
Officials said the compressors needed for these buses must be supplied by Tata Motors. Each compressor costs between five and six lakh rupees.
The corporation is now in talks with Tata Motors to install the newer compressors that are used in the company’s latest electric buses. These new compressors cost less than the older models. Officials believe the buses can return to service once the replacements arrive.
A JKRTC employee said the number of running buses has dropped sharply. "Only eight to ten buses are currently operating," he said. "Earlier, these buses covered regular city routes. Now, with many grounded, the frequency has reduced."
Rural routes are also affected. The buses that serve villages are making only one trip a day due to the shortage.
The grounding of these buses contrasts sharply with the government’s new plan to expand electric mobility in Jammu and Kashmir. In September, the administration announced that Jammu and Srinagar would each receive one hundred additional electric buses under a new batch.
At present, the Union Territory runs a fleet of two hundred electric buses, split equally between the two cities. These were introduced in January 2024, when Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the fleet.
The Jammu administration has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for two hundred more electric buses, following a request from the Union government to assess the region’s transport needs.
Officials said the next batch will be procured through a tendering process. Tata Motors or another manufacturer may supply the vehicles depending on the outcome.
The upcoming fleet aims to cover routes that are not served at present. Officials say these buses will improve connectivity, reduce pollution and make public transport more reliable. Once operational, the new buses are expected to strengthen the region’s shift toward sustainable mobility and ease pressure on the existing fleet—(KNO)