Solan: The much-publicised electric bus trial of the Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) began on a high-tech note, only to be grounded by a low-tech problem — the bus arrived, but its keys did not. In a twist that left officials embarrassed and amused in equal measure, the e-bus was sent from Hyderabad to Solan on a trailer, while the keys were apparently left behind.
According to sources, the e-bus reached Solan around 6 pm on Monday and was parked at the HRTC workshop. However, the arrival marked only half the journey. When officials prepared to unload the vehicle, they discovered that the most essential accessory for a trial — the keys — were missing. What followed was a scramble that exposed cracks in coordination behind the much-hyped green transport initiative.
With no suitable unloading space at the workshop, the trailer carrying the e-bus was shifted near the apple market on Tuesday. Officials attempted to unload the bus onto a pile of soil, only to realise that the bus was effectively locked in transit mode. Sources said repeated checks and phone calls confirmed what was becoming increasingly obvious: the keys were still in Hyderabad.
After being informed, the supplying company arranged to send the keys by air. The keys travelled faster than the bus ever could, landing in Chandigarh from Hyderabad before being rushed to Solan late in the evening. Only then could the e-bus be unloaded, ending a wait that had turned into a quiet spectacle.
Officials later said the trailer had been parked safely throughout, though the episode quietly travelled through offices and workshops as a reminder that even the biggest projects can be undone by the smallest oversight.
In the end, there was no sabotage, no conspiracy and no policy failure — just a very human mistake. The e-bus now stands ready for trials, while the keys have earned a story of their own, proving once again that in government projects, even machines sometimes need a sense of humour to move forward.
