Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of the Uttar Pradesh Government, flagged off 45 electric buses and three hydrogen-powered buses on Friday for improving green public transport in the areas of Noida, Greater Noida and the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA).
A value addition to the new Noida International Airport will be connectivity via buses run by Uttar Pradesh state road transport corporation (UPSRTC) which will facilitate the connectivity with the adjoining urban areas. The chief minister also virtually launched the Noida Electric Bus Depot.
On this occasion, Adityanath said it is aligned with the PM Narendra Modi’s vision of green mobility and sustainability. The state government has a vision to gradually increase the green transportation in cities and villages of UP, he added.
The chief minister emphasised that the airport in Noida, expected to begin operation soon, was highlighting the need to have a conducive and environment friendly public transport infrastructure. He added that Noida, Greater Noida and YEIDA have grown into key service centres for information technology, electronics, data centres, start-ups and semiconductors and as such there is an increasing demand for modern transport infrastructure.
The three development authorities are working on the procurement of 110 Electric Buses initially with a view to have around 500 buses available in the future depending on demand from passengers, Adityanath had said. The project will enhance last mile connectivity and also factor in the Government of the State’s environmental objectives.
The chief minister also spoke about the development of the infrastructure of the state in the recent years, which he said had turned into an expressway and involved the construction of significant roadways across the state. He said the projects like Ganga Expressway, Purvanchal Expressway, Bundelkhand Expressway, other highway corridors have contributed a lot in terms of connectivity and mobility.
With the introduction of electric and hydrogen buses, the state of Uttar Pradesh takes the next step in the quest to modernize public bus transport and harness cleaner forms of fuel in the urban mobility context.v