A new three-floor bus is all set to revolutionize public transport in India

Asad Ashraf

26-July-2014

Vol 5 | Issue 30

Had they been students of one of the prestigious Institutes of Technology or any other university of major recognition, their names would have flashed in the national headlines of mainstream dailies.

But three students of Choudhary Charan Singh University from the small town of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, who have designed a three-floor bus, are desperately seeking support to take their dream project to the next level.

The three-floor bus has a seating capacity of 100 people

“The bus will have the appearance of a regular public transport bus in India, but it would be able to seat more people. It would have seating capacity of 100 people,” says Sachin Ghaj, 24, who had designed the bus along with two of his friends, Sardeep Choudhary and Prashant Ghai.

The trio displayed their design at the recent auto expo held at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. They now require an estimated Rs.100 crore to set up a manufacturing unit with production capacity of eight buses per day.

As per their design, the first and second floors of the bus would be air-conditioned, while the third floor is open and convertible – which means that according to one’s needs the top could be left open or covered.

Interestingly, the height of the bus would still be the same as other normal buses plying on Indian roads. “Its height would be 11 feet, width 8 feet and length 8 meters (about 26 feet),” says Sachin.

Explaining the features of the bus that has been named ‘Ghaj,’ Sachin says they did not increase the height of the bus to ensure that it avoided the low-hanging electric wires, a common feature on Indian roads.

To tackle the problem of eve teasing in public transport buses, he says that one floor of the bus could be reserved for women passengers.

The trio asserts that if brought on the road, “the bus would save fuel (because it would carry more people), reduce congestion on the roads, provide better travel experience for passengers, and provide air-conditioned transport for the public at reduced cost.”

Sachin has dropped out of college to do a course in designing

The students have been approached by many private players in the market to sell out their design.

However, they are not keen on selling it. “This bus is not merely about earning money. It cannot be sold to anyone for any amount of cash,” says Sardeep, who hopes that their bus would hit the road soon.

The electronic presentation of the design of the bus indicates that it can be used in the tourism industry, private schools, call centers, refineries, and other industries.

Sachin, who was doing BCom, has dropped out of college to take up a course in design. The other two students continue to attend college, while simultaneously working on the project.

The trio has invested around Rs.5 lakh in the project, which includes the expenses incurred towards participating in the recent auto expo at Pragati Maidan.

They are hopeful that investors would be interested in helping them set up their dream plant to start production of the buses.

Editor's Note: For more information about the project, you may visit their website www.ghaj.in or mail the Ghaj team at [email protected]