To strengthen last-mile connectivity within the metropolis, the federal government will quickly be introducing a brand new fleet of compact electrical buses, which will likely be smaller than the present metro feeder buses, officers stated on Wednesday.
The Delhi authorities has positioned an order for 500 seven-metre e-buses beneath the Centre’s PM e-Drive scheme, chief minister Rekha Gupta stated.
In response to officers, these compact buses will likely be deployed on slim stretches and inside roads the place bigger buses battle to function. The transfer is geared toward enhancing entry to congested colonies and enhancing final mile connectivity together with lowering emissions.
“We’ve positioned orders for the primary lot of 500 seven-metre buses for Delhi. We expect these buses by 2027-28 in batches. The Delhi authorities goals to make sure that, within the coming months, Delhi’s bus fleet turns into one of many largest and cleanest e-bus networks on the planet,” stated CM Rekha Gupta.
Transport minister Pankaj Singh stated the tendering course of has been accomplished and the primary batch of buses is anticipated to hit the roads quickly. He added that the roll-out will happen in phases.
“Regardless of their smaller measurement, the buses will supply options just like the present nine-metre DEVi electrical buses. These embrace low-floor entry for straightforward boarding, air-conditioning, CCTV cameras for passenger security, panic buttons, GPS monitoring and real-time passenger information system,” stated Singh.
The transport division of the Delhi authorities despatched an in depth proposal to the Convergence Power Providers Restricted (CESL), for the fast procurement of three,330 further electrical buses, together with 500 buses of seven metres, 2,330 buses of 9 metres and 500 buses of 12 metres.
“The seven-metre buses will serve slim streets and supply last-mile connectivity to residents. The nine-metre buses will function on smaller roads and as feeder providers. The 12-metre buses will likely be deployed on most important routes and closely congested corridors,” stated a transport division official.
At current, a complete of 5,336 authorities buses are working in Delhi. Of those, over 4,000 are electrical buses, which embrace over 1,200 nine-metre DEVi buses, round 2,000 twelve-metre buses and 100 feeder buses.
In response to the chief minister, greater than 5,000 electrical buses will likely be working on Delhi’s roads by March this yr and the whole fleet is deliberate to extend to 13,760 buses by 2028.
The Prime Minister Electrical Drive (PM e-DRIVE) scheme is an initiative carried out by the Union ministry of heavy industries with a price range of ₹10,900 crore, for the interval from October 2024 to March 2026.
The first goal of the scheme is to speed up the adoption of electrical autos by offering monetary incentives for the acquisition of electrical two-wheelers, three-wheelers, e-buses and e-trucks.
