Bus Operations Head

Job Title: Head – Bus Operations (Ziel Mobility Solutions)

Company: Ziel Mobility Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Location: Chennai / Bengaluru / Hyderabad (with extensive travel across South India)

Reporting To: Founding Team/Senior Leadership

About Ziel Mobility Solutions

Ziel Mobility Solutions is an EV-first intercity mobility platform, focused on deploying, operating, and scaling electric buses across South India. Ziel works closely with its ecosystem partners—Green Energy Mobility Solutions (GEMS) for vehicle operations, MANA Energy Solutions for charging and energy infrastructure, and leading OEMs and financiers—to deliver reliable, scalable, and sustainable intercity bus services.

Role Overview

The Head – Bus Operations will be responsible for end-to-end operational ownership of Ziel’s EV intercity bus services. This includes fleet deployment, route operations, crew management, uptime and reliability, aggregator coordination, charging operations, safety, customer experience, and cost control.

This is a leadership + execution role requiring deep understanding of intercity bus operations, preferably with exposure to EV fleets or high-utilization assets.

Key Responsibilities

1. Fleet & Route Operations

• Own daily operations of Ziel’s EV intercity bus fleet across South India
• Plan and optimize route allocations, schedules, and vehicle deployment
• Coordinate with aggregators / ticketing platforms (redbus, Abhibus, Ziel platform etc.)
• Ensure on-time departures, trip completion, and service reliability
• Manage operations in southern India (Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Kochi, etc as we scale)

2. EV Operations & Charging Management

• Ensure effective coordination with MANA Energy Solutions for charging availability
• Plan charging schedules aligned with route km, SoC, turnaround time, and peak demand
• Monitor battery performance, degradation trends, energy consumption (kWh/km)
• Handle charging infra downtime, contingencies, and fallback plans
• Drive continuous improvement in energy efficiency and cost per km

3. Crew & Manpower Management

• Lead and manage:
• Drivers
• Bus captains
• Cleaners / housekeeping staff
• Field operations & hub supervisors
• Oversee rostering, leaves, replacements, and compliance
• Ensure driver training on:
• EV driving behavior
• Safety & SOPs
• Customer handling
• Maintain discipline, productivity, and low attrition

4. Maintenance, Uptime & Breakdown Management

• Coordinate with OEMs and service partners for:
• Preventive maintenance
• Breakdown resolution
• Warranty & AMC management
• Build route-wise breakdown response networks (electricians, mechanics, AC technicians)
• Ensure high fleet uptime and minimal trip cancellations
• Track MTBF, downtime hours, and root-cause analysis

5. Safety, Compliance & Regulatory

• Ensure compliance with:
• Motor Vehicles Act
• State Transport Authority norms
• AITP / Contract Carriage regulations
• EV-specific safety protocols
• Oversee accident management, incident reporting, and insurance coordination
• Implement and audit SOPs for:
• Pre-trip checks
• Emergency handling
• Night operations and long-haul routes

6. Customer Experience & Service Quality

• Own service quality metrics:
• Punctuality
• Cleanliness
• Driver behavior
• Passenger feedback / NPS
• Coordinate with customer support teams for complaint resolution
• Ensure consistent passenger experience across routes and states

7. Cost Control & Performance Monitoring

• Own operational KPIs:
• Cost per km
• Revenue per trip
• Uptime %
• Energy cost per km
• Track route-wise profitability and operational leakage
• Work closely with finance teams on:
• Invoicing
• Penalties
• Revenue reconciliation with aggregators
• Drive operational efficiency without compromising safety or quality

8. Scaling & Expansion

• Support rollout of new routes, hubs, and vehicles
• Build scalable SOPs and playbooks for multi-state expansion
• Mentor and build a strong second-line operations leadership team
• Act as the single point owner for operations during rapid scale-up

Candidate Profile

Must-Have Experience

• 10–15+ years in intercity bus operations / large fleet operations
• Strong understanding of:
• Long-haul operations
• Crew management
• Multi-state transport operations
• Prior experience handling 50+ buses preferred
• Exposure to EV buses or alternate-fuel fleets is a strong plus

Skills & Competencies

• Strong operational leadership and crisis-management skills
• Data-driven mindset (km, uptime, SoC, energy cost, delays)
• Ability to work closely with OEMs, charging partners, and aggregators
• High ownership mindset—comfortable with 24×7 operations
• Excellent coordination and stakeholder management

Language Requirements (Bonus but Highly Preferred)

• English – Mandatory
• Tamil/Telugu – Strong preference
• Hindi / Kannada / Malayalam – Added advantage
• Multilingual capability is a significant plus given South India operations

Why Join Ziel Mobility Solutions

• Be part of India’s first EV-first intercity mobility platform
• Work at the intersection of EVs, mobility tech, energy, and operations
• High-impact role with real ownership and decision-making authority
• Opportunity to shape the future of electric intercity transport in India