Oslo looking to replicate Delhi’s DEVI bus service, says minister Pankaj Singh

A bilateral meeting with Norwegian e-mobility institutions and representative of Oslo on electric mobility was held at the Delhi Secretariat

New Delhi

Delhi’s DEVI buses. (HT Archive)

Delhi transport minister Pankaj Singh on Thursday said that a high-level delegation from Oslo, Norway, is looking to replicate Delhi’s DEVI community electric bus service to resolve last-mile connectivity challenges in their country.

The minister made the comments following a bilateral meeting with Norwegian e-mobility institutions and representative of Oslo on electric mobility held at the Delhi Secretariat. He said that the Delhi government is targeting a 100% electric public bus fleet by 2026, and will prioritise zero-emission construction machinery, school buses and waste trucks at times of air emergencies.

Audun Garberg, the vice-director and head of climate change, Oslo, experienced the DEVI bus service first-hand on a central Delhi route. “The community-based scheduling and affordable fares demonstrate how electric buses can solve the ‘first- and last-mile’ gap. Oslo is keen to pilot a similar service,” he said.

Garberg said he formally invited Singh as a keynote speaker for the Nordic EV Summit in 2026. Singh, meanwhile, said they have agreed to a knowledge-sharing programme, as part of which a Delhi delegation will visit Oslo to take note of their zero-emission ferries and charging infrastructure.

The minister said a key outcome of the meeting is a joint commitment to embed a “Right to Charge” in Delhi’s upcoming EV Policy 2.0. “This would mirror Norway’s successful approach, which legislates for residents’ rights to install chargers in apartment blocks,” the minister said.