IntrCity Rolls Out Advanced Air-Purified Intercity Bus Fleet Across North India

IntrCity SmartBus has deployed a new fleet of air-purified coaches on key intercity corridors in North India, amid growing concern about air quality during long-distance travel. The rollout introduces SmartBus.AQI, a service built around continuous in-cabin filtration and real-time pollution monitoring.

Recent tests run by IntrCity on many high-traffic routes showed that inside-bus pollution often reaches levels two to three times higher than World Health Organization safety thresholds. To address these findings, the company teamed up with Respirer Living Sciences, a ClimateTech company renowned for its AI-powered air-quality intelligence and clean-air engineering. This collaboration resulted in a system aimed at low pollutant levels and visibility throughout the journey.

The upgraded buses use filtration modules targeting PM2.5, carbon dioxide, dust, smoke, and similar particulate contaminants. During pilot operations, PM2.5 readings were largely held near 15 µg/m³ for over 90 percent of total travel time—closely aligned with WHO's recommended 24-hour limit. Passengers can view live AQI and PM2.5 data both on displays inside the bus and on the IntrCity mobile application.

The technology behind SmartBus.AQI integrates artificial intelligence-powered monitoring into a patent-pending energy-recovery filtration system from Respirer. For now, IntrCity is deploying the air-purified buses on high-pollution, high-traffic routes in North India, including links connecting to Lucknow, Kanpur, Katra, and Pathankot. Travellers booking on the IntrCity app or website can identify these upgraded coaches by the “.AQI” tag in the service name.

It presently runs over 630 routes across 15 states, with the new rollout continuing the company's broader introduction of standardized travel features such as onboard washrooms, boarding lounges, and digital check-ins. The company has also released a dedicated microsite for technical details and deployment updates about the air-purification system. Respirer Living Sciences was founded in 2017 and operates a network of over 3,500 monitoring devices across more than 35 cities in India and abroad. It feeds air-quality insights into government agencies, enterprises, and research institutions. With this partnership, IntrCity extends the company's footprint into intercity transportation, where demand for cleaner, more transparent travel conditions continues to rise.

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