TGSRTC brings back JBM electric buses after safety clearance

All 500 JBM buses were temporarily withdrawn from service on July 2, after a series of fire accidents.

Hyderabad: The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) has brought 268 JBM electric buses back into operation after receiving a fitness clearance from a technical team, local reports stated.

All 500 JBM buses, operating in the Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Warangal, Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar regions, were temporarily withdrawn from service on July 2 after a series of fire accidents.

Earlier, a total of 150 buses had been cleared by a technical team consisting of experts from TGSRTC’s Command Control Centre at Bus Bhavan, JBM engineers, and battery experts from China. An additional 118 buses were cleared by the team on Wednesday, July 8.

Rest of the buses are expected to start operations in the next two to three days. To ensure that commuters are not inconvenienced while the remaining buses undergo inspections, TGSRTC has arranged additional buses on routes where JBM buses are still unavailable.

Buses pulled due to battery issues

On June 21, an electric bus travelling from Karimnagar to Hyderabad caught fire near Algunur. Earlier, on June 11, another electric bus parked at the Hanumakonda depot was gutted in a fire incident.

TGSRTC officials said minor technical issues and breakdowns in the buses had earlier been addressed through repairs, and services had resumed. However, the recent spate of fire incidents raised concerns among authorities.

The issue was taken up seriously, and discussions were held with representatives of JBM. Following a preliminary inspection in Karimnagar, the company reportedly found certain shortcomings related to battery maintenance and fastening mechanisms.

Officials said a technical team from JBM’s Delhi office would conduct a detailed inspection in Karimnagar and submit a report.