150 JBM Electric Buses Resume After Fitness Checks, Karimnagar E-Buses Stay Idle as Report Awaited
The suspension followed safety concerns after recent fire incidents
Hyderabad, Karimnagar: A TGSRTC electric bus belonging to JBM resumed operations on Friday, reaching MGBS from Warangal-2 depot, a day after services of 500 such buses were suspended on safety grounds.
Officials said 150 of the suspended JBM electric buses have received fitness certification and resumed services from depots in Nizamabad, Nalgonda and Warangal.
The suspension followed safety concerns after recent fire incidents. Technical experts from China, along with TGSRTC officials, are examining the buses, including those involved in the Karimnagar fire incidents. The corporation had halted 500 inter-city electric buses operated by JBM as a precautionary measure.
TGSRTC operates a fleet of 1,050 electric buses, run by three firms — JBM, Olectra and MEIL.
In Karimnagar, operations of electric buses at Depot-2 remain suspended following repeated incidents. A total of 104 buses have been kept idle over the past three days, and services are expected to resume only after JBM submits its report.
Two buses caught fire due to battery-related issues within a span of 10 days in Karimnagar. A JBM technical team from Delhi inspected one of the vehicles at Alugunur on June 25 and had assured submission of a report within two days, which is still awaited.
Another incident involving a bus was reported on July 1 at Karimnagar Depot-2, prompting officials to continue suspension of services as a precaution.
The disruption has affected passengers, particularly women, who rely on e-Express buses under the Mahalakshmi scheme offering free travel. With reduced services, passengers were seen waiting for buses at depots.
Officials said additional buses have been deployed from other depots and the number of trips increased to manage passenger demand.
