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Uttarakhand Transport Corporation adds 100 buses to fleet; plans electric buses next
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami flagged off the new additions from the CM camp office; the state also announced technology upgrades and depot infrastructure work.
Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (UTC) has added 100 new buses to its fleet, with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami flagging off the services from the Chief Minister’s camp office on the occasion of the New Year, according to an official statement.
Along with the 100 buses, the chief minister also dedicated 10 AC and two sleeper buses operated on a contract basis to the public. The event also included the release of a UTC publication titled “Anwarat” and a road-safety calendar. A set of employees was recognised for work carried out under difficult conditions, the statement said.
The state government said the new buses are intended to increase capacity and improve service delivery on routes across Uttarakhand, including in hill districts where road gradients and terrain conditions can affect operations. Public transport connectivity is a key requirement in the state due to dispersed settlements and dependence on road travel for access to education, healthcare, markets and tourism-related movement.
The statement said the new buses will be equipped with systems aimed at improving passenger safety and operational monitoring. These include GPS-based tracking, CCTV cameras, e-ticketing, fleet monitoring and scheduled maintenance processes. Officials said these measures are expected to support real-time tracking of buses, record incidents on board, reduce manual ticketing, and enable better oversight of adherence to routes and timings.
The government also reiterated its plan to introduce electric buses into the corporation’s fleet in the near term. No timeline, route plan or procurement details were provided in the statement, but the announcement aligns with broader transport trends in several states that are adding electric buses for city and intercity operations.
In addition to fleet expansion, the statement outlined ongoing infrastructure work linked to UTC operations. It said construction of more than 13 new bus stations and workshops has been completed, while work is underway at 14 other locations, including four Inter-State Bus Terminals (ISBTs). Bus stations and maintenance workshops are critical to a state-run operator’s performance as they affect turnaround time, vehicle upkeep and the ability to run services reliably on long and high-altitude routes.
The government also referred to measures related to UTC staff and manpower. It said dearness allowance (DA) revisions have been implemented, recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission have been applied, and recruitment is being used to address workforce shortages. The corporation’s employee strength and deployment levels affect maintenance cycles and route scheduling, particularly during peak travel periods and in adverse weather conditions.
Dhami said the government views the transport corporation as a service delivery institution and is working to make it more accountable and responsive, the statement added. The event was attended by cabinet ministers Ganesh Joshi and Subodh Uniyal, Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Bansal, and a number of legislators and officials, including UTC Managing Director and Additional Secretary Reena Joshi.
The expansion comes as Uttarakhand continues to invest in public transport capacity and terminal infrastructure, while signalling a shift towards technology-enabled operations and the planned adoption of electric buses.
