Pune Municipal Corporation To Phase Out Ambassador Cars In Favor Of E-Cars
Pune, 26th September 2023: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to discontinue the use of its fleet of Ambassador cars due to maintenance issues and adopt environmentally friendly e-cars. A tender of around Rs 25 crores has been floated to lease 110 e-cars for five years.
Once a favorite among government officials and political leaders, the Ambassador car is becoming a “white elephant” for the PMC. The difficulty in sourcing spare parts and the cars’ low fuel efficiency have led to the decision to phase them out. Currently, the municipal corporation owns 39 Ambassador cars with a lifespan of 12 to 13 years.
To combat noise and air pollution, the corporation has started incorporating e-cars into its fleet. At present, 65 e-cars are operational, and a tender has been floated to lease an additional 110 e-cars for five years at an estimated cost of Rs 25 crores. The contractor will be responsible for the driver, charging, and maintenance costs of these vehicles.
The PMC has a total of 1,378 vehicles used for various purposes, including waste transportation, water supply, and road maintenance. The administration provides cars to officers and officials as per their requirements. The process of scrapping vehicles that are 15 years old and procuring new ones is ongoing.
Although the tender mentions 110 e-cars, they will not be deployed all at once. “The cars will be put into use as per requirement, and the bill will be generated accordingly,” said Hrishikesh Chavan, Traffic Manager, Department of Motor Vehicles.
The move to e-cars aligns with the PMC’s commitment to environmental sustainability and modernization. It also addresses the challenges of maintaining the aging fleet of Ambassador cars.
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