Amaravati, March 25 Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary G Sai Prasad on Wednesday directed officials to prepare a comprehensive plan to fully utilize the PM-eBus Sewa scheme in the state.
During the 3rd State-Level Sanctioning Committee meeting held at the Secretariat, the chief secretary reviewed progress and stressed measures to introduce e-buses to replace the aging Road Transport Corporation (RTC) fleet.
"Officials should formulate a comprehensive action plan to fully utilize the PM eBus Sewa scheme and ensure effective introduction of e-buses across the state," Prasad said in an official press release.
He emphasised that the rollout of e-buses would aid fuel conservation, reduce pollution and improve public transport efficiency across cities.
The chief secretary reviewed the plan to introduce 750 electric buses across 11 cities in the first phase, including Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Amaravati and Tirupati.
He also instructed RTC officials to provide adequate training to drivers and technical staff for efficient operation and maintenance of electric buses.
Further, Prasad underscored the need to improve the overall functioning of the RTC by adopting efficient practices and modern systems.
The Central government has launched the PM-eBus Sewa scheme to deploy 10,000 air-conditioned e-buses across 116 cities in 26 states and Union Territories by 2027.
The scheme targets cities with populations between three lakh and 40 lakh, aiming to enhance urban mobility and benefit Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.
Meanwhile, during the meeting, Special Chief Secretary (Transport, Roads and Buildings) MT Krishna Babu informed that 100 e-buses are already operational in Tirupati and efforts are underway to introduce more electric buses in the city.
Babu also said estimates worth over Rs 129 crore have been prepared for developing civil infrastructure at 12 locations, with 60 per cent funding from the Centre.
He added that the remaining 40 per cent cost will be borne by the state government, while older buses completing 15 years of service will be phased out annually.
