NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday flagged off 400 new electric buses, taking the total number of such buses in the city to 800 under the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), the highest in the country.
The buses were flagged off from the IP Depot in the presence of Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, transport minister Kailash Gahlot, and other officials. Kejriwal said that the Delhi government is committed to making the city pollution-free and that electric buses are a major step in this direction. He said that the government plans to have 8,000 electric buses on the roads of Delhi by the end of 2025.
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Upon achieving this goal, over 10,000 buses will run on Delhi’s streets, with a remarkable 80 per cent, or 8,280 buses, being electric. Delhi aims to become a global beacon for electric bus adoption. The new buses are air-conditioned and have a capacity of 75 passengers. They are also equipped with ramps for the differently-abled.
These new buses are a crucial part of the 921-bus subsidy scheme, with the Central government contributing a subsidy of ₹417 crore for electric buses, while the Delhi government is investing ₹3,674 crores.
Kejriwal said that the government is also working on setting up charging infrastructure for electric buses. So far, 1500 charging stations have been installed in the city. He said that Delhi is leading the way in the adoption of electric buses and that other cities should follow suit.
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“By the end of 2023, we aim to have 1,900 electric buses, positioning Delhi among the world’s foremost cities with a substantial electric bus presence,” he said.
With the introduction of 1,900 electric buses, the Delhi government anticipates a significant reduction of 1.07 lakh tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. Kejriwal stressed their commitment to the ambitious target, “Our goal is to reach 10,480 buses on Delhi’s streets by December 2025, with a remarkable 80 percent of them being electric.” “These buses are environmentally friendly, with a range of up to 225 kilometers on a single charge. Proper infrastructure is crucial for electric buses, including dedicated depots for recharging,” he said.
The Delhi government has already invested ₹182 crores in installing 1,500 depots for these electric buses. These new 400 E-buses are manufactured by TATA Motors and will operate from depots in Mayapuri, Nehru Place, Rohini-1, Rohini-2, and Banda Bahadur Marg.