TGSRTC restores 118 more JBM electric buses to service in Hyderabad

The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) restored 118 more JBM electric buses to service on Wednesday after they received technical fitness clearances at the Bus Bhavan in Hyderabad. The resumption of these services follows a week-long precautionary suspension of the corporation's entire fleet of JBM electric buses due to safety concerns over battery-related fire incidents.

With the latest clearance of these 118 vehicles, a total of 268 JBM electric buses have now returned to active operations across Telangana. Prior to this, TGSRTC had already cleared and redeployed 150 buses. The remaining units of the 500-bus fleet are expected to resume their regular operations over the coming days as they progressively complete their safety checks.

The rigorous fitness certifications are being issued only after detailed inspections at the Command and Control Centre, which has been set up at Bus Bhavan in Hyderabad. These safety evaluations are being conducted by a specialized team consisting of TGSRTC’s technical personnel, JBM engineers, and battery experts traveling from China.

TGSRTC had suspended the operations of all 500 of its JBM electric buses across the state on July 2. This decision was taken as a precautionary measure following a series of battery-related fires, which included an incident near Alugunur in the Karimnagar district on June 21. Following these events, the public transport corporation made it clear that buses would only be permitted back on the roads after each individual vehicle was certified as "Fit for Operation" and met all safety criteria.

To ensure that commuters do not face transport shortages while the remaining fleet is inspected, TGSRTC Managing Director Y Nagi Reddy has instructed Regional Managers across all regions to run additional bus services on routes where the JBM electric buses are still temporarily unavailable.