Delhi govt inks agreement to add 1500 e-buses in public fleet

A DTC official aware of the development said on Monday that the buses will have a number of safety features like GPS, panic button, CCTV cameras, live tracking, and pink seats that will be reserved for women

Delhi is likely to get 1500 low-floor electric buses from early next year with the state government signing an agreement with an automaker to strengthen the public bus fleet in the capital, state transport commissioner said on Monday.

Currently, DTC operates a fleet of 7,200 buses, of which 250 are electric vehicles. In a bid to increase the number of electric buses in its fleet, the Delhi government in 2021 decided that it will only procure electric buses. (Amal KS/HT Photo)

“Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has signed an agreement with a Tata Motors subsidiary for adding largest number of 1500 electric buses in DTC fleet in one go. It is a significant move towards further enhancing noise and pollution free electric mobility in the capital, and is an important step towards improving the air quality in the city. Previously, the Delhi government put up demands for 300 electric buses, of which 250 buses have already arrived and the remaining 50 buses are likely to be inducted into the DTC fleet soon.” Delhi transport commissioner Ashish Kundra said.

A DTC official aware of the development said on Monday that the buses will have a number of safety features like GPS, panic button, CCTV cameras, live tracking, and pink seats that will be reserved for women.

Currently, DTC operates a fleet of 7,200 buses, of which 250 are electric vehicles. In a bid to increase the number of electric buses in its fleet, the Delhi government in 2021 decided that it will only procure electric buses. It aims to eventually phase out CNG buses from its fleet in a bid to control the Capital’s pollution levels, to which vehicular emissions are a significant contributor. This marks the second significant shift in the life span of DTC, after the public transport operator completely switched over to CNG-run buses from diesel vehicles by April 2002, following a 1998 Supreme Court order.

Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said, “Under the leadership of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi is committed to providing convenient, zero-smoke and 100% electric public transportation. Delhi government has been the frontrunner among all the states in adding electric buses to our fleet, and current order of 1500 buses is the largest order placed for e-buses. This is another milestone for the Delhi government in its mission of having more than 10,000 public buses on the city roads by 2025, with 80% of them being electric.”

Despite expansion of the Metro network, buses are still popular for public transit in Delhi, with around 4.2 million people using the system every day. DTC alone ferries 3.3 million passengers a day. Delhi’s Metro average daily ridership is 4.5 million.

Currently, the Capital has around 7,200 buses under DTC and the cluster scheme. The state government aims to increase the strength of the fleet to 11,000, and to ensure that 70-75% of all public buses in Delhi are electric by 2025-26.

As part of the agreement, TML CV Mobility Solutions Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Tata Motors, will supply, operate and maintain 1500 units of 12-metre low-floor air-conditioned electric buses for a period 12 years. The e-buses will come with superior design and best-in-class features for sustainable and comfortable commute, Tata Motors said in a statement.

Asim Kumar Mukhopadhyay, , chairman, TML CV Mobility Solutions Limited, said the electric buses will provide sustainable, safe and comfortable public transportation to the commuters of Delhi.

Mahua Acharya, the managing director and CEO of Convergence Energy Services Limited --- the central agency which handles tenders for electric public vehicles for state governments -- said: “This contract is indication of Delhi’s leadership in taking part in the grand challenge tender, based on their own vision of entirely changing over to electric. It has been a privilege to work with the Delhi government and I look forward to seeing these vehicles hit the roads very soon.”