Won’t run new e-buses in Delhi if defects aren’t rectified: Transport minister

The buses, which are part of the city's efforts to shift to an all-electric public transport fleet, have experienced issues including breakdowns.

Electric buses procured by the Delhi government will not be pressed into service, if technical defects are not rectified by the manufacturer, Tata Motors, Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot said on Friday.

An additional batch of buses were also delivered to the Delhi government, but they are yet to be formally inducted into the fleet (HT Archive)

“I have directed transport commissioner that if technical defect of electric buses inducted last week is not rectified/removed by Tata motors by Sunday (July 9, 2023) then such buses will not be put in operation. Penalties as applicable will be imposed. We stand committed to provide safe, convenient and reliable public transport to Delhiites,” Gahlot tweeted on Friday evening.

DTC signed a contract for the supply of 1500 electric buses with Tata Motors. The first lot of 200 buses were supplied, and the buses were pressed into service. However, several buses have broken down and developed issues related to acceleration and other issues.

An additional batch of buses were also delivered to the Delhi government, but they are yet to be formally inducted into the fleet.

As of Friday, the uptime of buses was more than 95%, a Tata Motors spokesperson said.

The Delhi government has decided to procure only electric buses for DTC as part of its efforts to shift the entire public buses fleet to electric mode.

Following Gahlot’s direction, transport commissioner Ashish Kundra wrote to Tata Motors, pointing out problems in the newly inducted buses.

“I am constrained to draw your attention to the fact that 200 electric buses which have been inducted in the first lot under the Grand Challenge Programme by Delhi Transport Corporation have shown dismal operational outcomes. In the first instance, the operating company had limited preparedness for the installation of transformers in the depots assigned to them, even as they were pressing the department for early induction of these buses. Once the induction started, it was observed that there was a high incidence of breakdown up to 30%, on account of some technical/software glitches in these buses,” Kundra said.

The commissioner added that if the problem is not rectified by Sunday, DTC will be constrained to stop “out shedding” of theses buses and impose applicable penalties as per contract with the company.

A Tata Motors spokesperson an expert team of technicians is looking into the problem. “The glitches reported in initial operations are being corrected on priority by an expert team of technicians and specialists stationed at the Mayapuri depot where we have set up a state-of-the-art enabling ecosystem to charge, maintain and operate the fleet. With more smart buses scheduled to be added weekly, this infrastructure is being replicated at other depots as well. By this weekend, we will ensure that all buses are available as per schedule for delivering enhanced performance and higher uptime, in line with our contractual obligations. We are committed to making public transportation in Delhi safe, convenient, comfortable and green.”

The spokesperson said that a Tata Motors subsidiary company is currently operating 120 buses in Delhi and they have cumulatively covered over 100,000km distance in just six days. “These zero-emission buses are equipped with advanced electronic control systems, which sometimes require optimisation under actual running conditions to deliver best results,” said the official.