Panipat (Balwinder Singh): Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini flagged off 80 new electric city buses and inaugurated a state-of-the-art electric bus depot on Thursday, initiating a major phase of the province’s green public transit strategy. The launch transitions regional commuting toward sustainable mobility, directly targeting carbon reduction and smarter urban transit integration.
Out of the newly deployed fleet of 80 electric vehicles, 40 buses are designated for Panipat, 15 for Yamunanagar, 10 each for Kurukshetra and Sonipat, and 5 for Panchkula. Built at a cost of approximately ₹7 crore, the new Panipat facility features dedicated high-capacity charging bays. The Chief Minister confirmed that similar specialized depots are currently under construction across eight other districts to sustain growing infrastructure needs. The expansion builds upon the operations of Haryana City Bus Service Limited, raising the state’s total operating e-bus fleet to 155 vehicles across ten major urban centres.
During the event, the Chief Minister outlined an expansive five-year roadmap under Haryana Vision-2047 to modernise state commuting. Plans are underway to procure 650 standard floor AC buses for metropolitan zones like Gurugram and Faridabad, alongside 50 electric express buses connecting Chandigarh to Delhi Airport and popular long-distance pilgrimage sites. To improve user convenience, the government is introducing an integrated railway-style GPS tracking system, enabling commuters to check real-time bus locations and arrival schedules through a mobile application. The Chief Minister also announced that ten new electric bus stands will be constructed within the year.
Addressing social security benefits, the Chief Minister stated that the state transport department continues to provide free or subsidized travel benefits across 39 distinct categories, including senior citizens, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and students. He announced that the concessionary student bus-pass facility will be seamlessly extended to the new electric bus network. Additionally, under the HAPPY scheme, eligible lower-income families will continue to receive up to 1,000 kilometres of free annual travel across the state transit network.
