APSRTC to develop Vidhyadharapuram bus depot at ₹18 crore

Vijayawada: The APSRTC prepared a comprehensive plan to develop the Vidhyadharapuram bus depot at a cost of nearly Rs 18 crore in the city. The bus depot, which will be the central point for electric bus operations set to be inducted into the RTC fleet in the second half of 2026, will be equipped with 20 new bus charging points along with state-of-the-art amenities. These include elevating the ground level by at least 5 feet to prevent water inundation during the monsoon season.As part of the plan, the RTC prepared estimates of Rs 11.2 crore for the civil works component and Rs 6.7 crore for the electrical works component."To execute the proposed development works at the bus depot, the depot operations will be shifted to the nearby bus depots within the city until the development works at the Vidhyadharapuram bus depot are completed. All buses, tools and machinery, as well as the regular bus operations from the depot, will be shifted to the nearby bus depots," an RTC official said.Vijayawada will receive 100 new electric buses, which will be inducted into the city bus fleet, with the Vidhyadharapuram bus depot serving as the electric bus operations and maintenance depot. "As part of the agreement entered into with Pinnacle Mobility Solutions Private Limited, the bus depot will be handed over to the firm for establishing the bus charging points. On completion of the development works, the regular bus operations will be restored as usual at the depot," the RTC official added."The electric bus will have a maximum range of 200 kilometres on a single full charge, and around 3-4 hours will be taken for a bus to be fully charged. Charging of buses will be done during night-time as well as during day-time, as and when the buses require charging," the official explained.The official further informed that plans are afoot to use the bus depot as a regular bus station once the development works are completed.