Ahmedabad Janmarg Ltd invites global tenders for BRTS buses

After it failed to elicit desired results from indigenous motor companies, Ahmedabad Janmarg Ltd (AJL) has invited global tenders for acquiring buses for Bus Rapid Transit System. Now, if all goes as per AJL's decision, soon Mercedes, Volvo and many other luxury brands will be plying on our city roads.

AJL, the special purpose vehicle floated by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), has invited expression of interest for purchasing 145 buses for BRTS. The proposal for purchasing 125 buses was already approved under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), said a senior AJL official.

He also said that AJL had placed order for 20 air-conditioner buses from Ashok Leyland. However, the prototype of airconditioned bus produced by the company was found below standards so the contract awarded to the company was cancelled.

As per the terms and conditions of JNNURM, AJL was supposed to purchase buses from indigenous companies only. Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland have been awarded contracts for supplying buses for BRTS and feeder routes. Having burnt its fingers in awarding contracts to indigenous players, the AJL has sought approval from JNNURM authority to allow them to buy buses from foreign companies, said the official.

The official also said that AJL has been in talks with many companies including Volvo, Mercedes, a couple of companies from Korea and Dubai. These companies have shown interest in supplying buses, but it would be interesting to wait and see which of the companies respond, he said. The AJL can purchase buses priced within Rs80 lakh per bus.
Interestingly, all the new buses will be air conditioned. At present, the AJL's fleet of 82 BRTS buses has only five air-conditioned buses.