Three low-floor buses, a first in the state, were launched in Kolkata on Friday.

The fleet, received under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, was inaugurated by state Transport Minister Ranjit Kundu.

Though five buses were slated for inauguration before the Pujas, Kundu could only launch three as the others are yet to receive route permits. The routes of the three low-floor buses are 221, 214 and 32.

Of the 1,300 buses received by the state under the JNNURM, Kundu said around 300 will be AC, 100 will ply along the Asansol-Durgapur route and 900 on Kolkata roads.

He added that at least 50 new buses will arrive before the Pujas to cope with the rush of passengers. While 630 buses will be based on the public-private partnership model, the rest will be used by various state transport agencies.

According to Kundu, already 379 applications have been received from bus owners for the low-floor ones, following the phasing out of nearly 3,000 private buses after being banned by the Calcutta High Court. Kundu said: “Those who have route permits will have to make a security deposit of Rs 2 lakh and pay a monthly installment of Rs 23,500. After eight years, they will be given ownership of the buses. In case of new permits, they will have to deposit Rs 2.5 lakh.”