Nashik division of MSRTC to get 12 e-buses in April

NASHIK: The Nashik division of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) will get 12 electric buses (Shivai) in the month of April, informed state transport utility's vice-chairman and managing director Shekhar Channe on Tuesday.
Channe was in Nashik to review the performance of Ahmednagar, Nashik, Jalgaon and Dhule (including Nandurbar) divisions of the MSRTC. Speaking to TOI, Channe said, "The state transport utility is getting new Shivai buses in the month of April, out of which 12 buses would be allotted to the Nashik division for their optimal utilization on prominent routes."
The charging points for the electric buses are already in place at the Nashik bus depot that caters to inter-district buses, including those running between Nashik and cities like Mumbai, Kolhapur, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Ahmedabad, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nagpur, among others.
Initially, the new buses would be introduced on the Nashik-Pune route and later would be deployed on routes including Borivali (Mumbai) and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar depending on the infrastructure available.
Based on the response more e-buses would eventually be added to the fleet. On being asked about the starting the recently-constructed New Mela bus terminus, Channe said, "Firefighting equipment need to be installed at the terminus. This work is currently in progress and as soon the work is completed the terminus would become operational."
During the meeting with the MSRTC officials from the division, Channe stressed on the fact that they need to ensure maximum buses are available on the road so that the passengers do not feel being left out and think of taking alternate mode of transportation.
"He (Channe) reviewed the performances of the divisions and underlined the fact that the concession on ticket fares given to women passengers would attract more passengers to the MSRTC buses. In such case, the transport utility will have to ensure that ample buses are available so that the beneficiaries can benefit from them," a senior official said on condition of anonymity.
The official added that they have been asked to submit proposals for bus depots that are in the need of repair or upgrade.