Tata Motors has bagged orders of over 5,000 buses from 25 State Transport Undertakings (STUs) across the country. Known to be worth Rs.900 Crore, according to Ravi Pisharody, Executive Director, Commercial Vehicles Business Unit of Tata Motors, the company will execute all orders in year 2016-17. “The orders will enable us to further strengthen our leadership position in the CV passenger space,” averred Pisharody. According to sources at Tata Motors, of the total order, some require a fully IT-enabled bus to ensure trackability and traceability. The features required on the bus include public information systems, electronic destination boards, CCTV cameras, smart multi-mode ticketing, GPS-enabled on-board intelligent transport system, wifi and diagnostics systems. Over 1,500 of the ordered buses will be fully built and integrated with these features, and manufactured at Tata Motors JV manufacturing facility, at Tata Marcopolo (Dharwad and Lucknow) and ACGL Goa. According to the sources, the orders represent a 80 per cent growth compared to last year for Tata Motors. The surge in buying from STUs is being witnessed after a gap of nearly four years as per company officials. It indicates a renewed focus on public transport according to them.