March 30, 2023: Come Mahakumbh -2025 , Prayagraj would witness what it has never witnessed before. City transport comprising of a mammoth network of 150 e-buses. The holy city situated on the confluence of the holy Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, will not only be well connected with other parts of the state but also the entire country.
Apart from this, the Yogi Adityanath led government in an effort to make Mahakumbh-2025 a memorable event has also plans to improve inter route connectivity inside city limits by pressing in surplus count of electric buses for public transport.
As per official sources, all routes of the city would be connected with a mega network of 150 e-buses before Mahakumbh.
It may be mentioned that the administration has estimated arrival of more than 400 million devotees and tourists not only from all over the country but the world around. To ensure smooth to and fro movement of devotees and tourists from different places of the country and state, where on one hand the UP Roadways is making its comprehensive transport plan, Yogi government has decided to run 150 electric buses before Mahakumbh to ease the local traffic pressure in city limits.
According to MK Trivedi, director of Prayagraj City Transport Services Limited, 100 additional e-buses were on the cards to be gifted to the city in next financial year, proposal of which had already been forwarded to state government. Presently 50 e-buses were operating in city limits, and with the 100 additional e-buses in the offing, the total count of e-buses would be pushed to 150 for the forthcoming Mahakumbh, he added.
“All 22 routes of the city would be covered by e-bus service as city’s transport service is the lifeline of local traffic,” said Trivedi.
He further informed that presently, e-city bus service was available on just 5 routes in Prayagraj, but before 2025, the same bus service would commence operations on all 22 routes of the city.
Guinness Record for ‘largest parade of buses’
The Prayagraj Mela Authority had successfully made a Guinness World Record for the ‘largest parade of buses’ wherein a spectacular parade of a 510-bus fleet that was plied on NH-19 between Sahson and Nawabganj toll plazas. During the Kumbh Mela – 2019, with an intent “to demonstrate the efficient traffic plan during the mega religious festival held on the banks of Sangam, the saffron-coloured buses of the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) covered a distance of over 3.2 km on NH-19 between Sahson and Nawabganj. It broke the earlier record of parading 390 buses in such a manner that was held by Abu Dhabi.
In a Nutshell
• City transport to have mega network of 150 e-buses before 2025 Mahakumbh.
• This will improve inter-route connectivity inside Prayagraj city limits
• 400 million devotees, tourists expected from all over country and world in 2025.
• Presently 50 e-buses operating in city limits on five routes.
• 100 additional e-buses in offing, proposal forwarded to state government.
• All 22 routes of city to be covered by e-bus service.
