The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has officially contracted M/s Hansa City Bus Services (Nagpur) Private Limited to procure and operate electric buses within the city. A letter of award (LOA) was issued to the firm just before the implementation of the model code of conduct for the Assembly elections. Under the terms of the ₹1,300 crore tender, Hansa City Bus Services is set to supply 250 electric buses while also handling their maintenance and operation.
According to a news report, the NMC initiated the tender process for e-bus procurement in November 2023 but received only two bids: one from Hansa City Bus Services and another from M/s Every Trans Private Limited, a Hyderabad-based firm. However, the tender was initially canceled as Hansa’s bid was rejected for technical reasons, and the other bid could not proceed since it became the sole offer for the contract. Following this, the project was retendered in March, yet only M/s Every Trans submitted a bid again.This bid moved to the financial clearance stage after NMC consulted the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which had previously utilized services from M/s Every Trans.
The BMC determined that the rates proposed were excessively high, leading to the collapse of negotiations. Consequently, the NMC canceled the tender once more and reissued it, ultimately awarding it to M/s Hansa City Bus Services.Initially approved in 2022 to expand its bus fleet, the project faced delays due to various technical issues. In this round, Hansa City Bus Services emerged victorious, offering a more competitive rate than the Hyderabad firm. The contractor has been given 300 days to deliver the buses, and the NMC aims to phase out its current fleet of JNNURM standard buses in favor of zero-emission e-buses, contributing to a cleaner environment.
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