The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has come up with a proposal to deploy 350 electric buses in five cities in the state. Overall, the project is likely to cost ₹7.64 billion (~$109.6 million) and will be initiated shortly with each bus expected to cost nearly ₹21.8 million ($312,841).

Mercom contacted a senior official at APSRTC, who said, “The project is an initiative of the state government and is in the proposal phase. Expression of Interests (EoI) will be invited by July 15 this year. The proposal has been made under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles (FAME India) program. The buses are to be deployed in five cities in Andhra based on population and feasibility. The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation is assisting us in the process.”

APSRTC is undergoing losses because of the increase in diesel prices. This proposal is expected to combat this issue and help the ongoing efforts of the central and state governments to adopt cleaner sources of energy in transport and mobility. A committee has been assigned to review the probability of a merger of APSRTC with the state government. These changes are aimed at making APSRTC a profitable body. The process of temporary registration of vehicles and allotting learner’s license has been resumed at RTO offices in the state.

The Jammu and Kashmir government is also planning to deploy 30 more electric buses in the state’s summer capital, Srinagar. Other states like Kerala, Goa, and Delhi have also issued tenders for the procurement of electric buses in the recent past.

The Department of Heavy Industries (DHI) recently invited expressions of interest from state transport departments for the deployment of 5,000 electric buses. This is under the FAME-II scheme of the government of India, and the deployment will be on an operational cost model basis.