SWITCH Mobility, Purple Bus Launch Vidarbha’s First Private Electric Intercity Bus Service

SWITCH Mobility and PURPLE BUS have launched an electric intercity bus service on the Nagpur–Chandrapur route, with the first batch of six electric coaches flagged off from an order for 50 SWITCH EiV12m buses for deployment across Vidarbha. The launch took place in the presence of Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.

The companies describe the service as Vidarbha’s first private electric intercity bus service. The deployment expands their efforts to introduce electric buses on intercity routes in Maharashtra.

SWITCH EiV12m Coaches for Intercity Travel

The service will use SWITCH EiV12m electric coaches featuring 45 pushback seats, a claimed range of up to 350 km per charge and fast-charging capability. The buses are also equipped with advanced safety systems and SWITCH iON connected technology for real-time vehicle monitoring.

Ganesh Mani, CEO of SWITCH Mobility, said the Nagpur–Chandrapur corridor was an important addition to the company’s work in Maharashtra.

“Strengthening this corridor with our partner Prasanna Purple Mobility Solutions is an important step in our mission to build future-ready public transport across India.”

Ganesh Mani, CEO of SWITCH Mobility

The deployment follows the companies’ earlier intercity operations on the Mumbai–Pune route in April 2026 and the Dombivli–Pune route in October 2026.

Purple Bus Sees Scope to Scale Electric Operations

PURPLE BUS said its experience with electric intercity operations has strengthened its case for expanding the technology to more routes.

“At PURPLE BUS, our goal is to make electric the default way people travel between cities, not the exception.”

Saurabh Patwardhan, Director, PURPLE BUS

Patwardhan added that the company’s electric fleet had already covered more than one million kilometres in intercity operations. He said its operating data indicated that electric coaches could deliver a lower total cost of ownership and a lower cost per passenger-kilometre than diesel buses.

The company credited its partnership with SWITCH Mobility as an important part of its effort to scale electric intercity services across Maharashtra.

Expanding Electric Mobility in Vidarbha

The Nagpur–Chandrapur deployment brings electric coaches to another intercity corridor in Maharashtra. The initial flag-off of six buses marks the first stage of the 50-bus order, with further deployments planned under the arrangement.

The next measure of the initiative will be how effectively the buses perform in regular intercity operations, particularly in terms of range, charging requirements, passenger experience and operating costs. These factors will be important in determining whether electric coaches can be scaled across more routes in the region.

The significance of this launch goes beyond introducing electric buses on a new route. It adds to the evidence being built by private operators on whether electric coaches can work commercially beyond urban transport.

The performance of the fleet on the Nagpur–Chandrapur corridor, alongside the rollout of the remaining buses under the order, will be worth watching.