The approximately 180-km trial journey began at Jassur and covered routes through Pathankot, Nurpur, Chowari, Kuddi and Obhar before concluding at Kopra village in Nurpur. HRTC Divisional Manager, Dharamsala, Pankaj Chadda, personally travelled in the bus during the test drive.
Speaking to The Tribune, Chadda said the journey was “absolutely hassle-free and successful”. He added that the HRTC had consistently embraced modern and advanced technologies to improve public transport services.
Chadda said the corporation planned to induct 297 electric buses into its fleet in the coming months. He described the buses as pollution-free, noiseless and comparable in quality and comfort to diesel-operated buses.
He further stated that charging an electric bus from 20 per cent to 100 per cent takes around one-and-a-half hours. Charging infrastructure has already been established at Jassur, Dharamsala, Palampur and Nagrota Bagwan.
On the proposed allocation of electric buses in the Dharamsala division, Chadda said the final decision would be taken by the HRTC management. However, he indicated that around 12 to 14 electric buses could replace ageing diesel buses operating on various routes in the Nurpur area.
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