Source : PTI | The Bihar government on Wednesday announced that 200 electric buses will begin operations this month as part of efforts to modernise public transport and promote clean mobility in the state.
The state cabinet had approved ₹517.16 crore on May 6 for the induction of 400 air-conditioned electric buses under the PM e-Bus Sewa Phase-II scheme.
“A total of 400 electric buses will be introduced in six cities—Patna, Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Darbhanga and Purnea. In the first phase, 200 buses are scheduled to start operations in June,” Transport Department Secretary Raj Kumar said.
He said the state government is also operating 100 ‘Pink Buses’ for women passengers in six major cities. The buses are equipped with CCTV cameras, GPS tracking systems and panic buttons.
“The government plans to train 100 women drivers for operating these buses. In the first phase, 22 women drivers have already been trained along with several women conductors,” Kumar said.
According to an official statement, the government also plans to develop 31 modern bus terminals under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model and implement an intelligent traffic management system (ITMS) at 200 locations in the first phase, with expansion to 500 locations planned later.
The transport secretary said the government recently approved the Bihar Electric Vehicle (Revised) Policy 2026, which offers incentives of up to ₹1 lakh for women purchasing electric four-wheelers and subsidies of up to ₹12,000 for electric two-wheelers.
Approved by the state cabinet on May 13, the policy aims to ensure that electric vehicles account for 30 per cent of new vehicle registrations in Bihar by 2030.
To support the transition to electric mobility, the government plans to expand charging infrastructure across highways, petrol pumps, hotels, bus terminals and other public places. Financial incentives will also be provided for setting up EV charging stations under the policy, the statement said.
The state is additionally focusing on technology-driven transport services through initiatives such as digital transport services, online e-challan payments via the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS), and driver training programmes aimed at improving road safety and citizen services, it added.
