The Delhi Transport Department has issued a request for proposals to select service providers to deploy 1,000 high-speed and 2,000 low-speed public electric scooters to bridge the last-mile connectivity issue for public transport in the Dwarka sub-city.

The government intends to introduce a Public E-Scooter Sharing System to provide a low-cost, environmentally friendly mobility option to the residents. E-scooter sharing is expected to be a vital component of the city’s strategy to expand the use of public transport such as buses and metro, one that will also reduce the dependence on private automobiles and cut down carbon emissions.

The last date to submit the bids is February 15, 2024. Bids will be opened on the same day

Bidders must submit an earnest money deposit of ₹4 million (~$48,216). The first successful bidder (L1) must submit a performance bank guarantee of ₹6 million (~$72,307), whereas the second successful bidder (L2) must submit ₹4 million (~$48,216).

The scope of work includes design, development, procurement, integration, implementation, operations, and maintenance. The contract term will be for seven years and 14 months from the date of signing the agreement, including the 14 months of the project implementation period.

The project will be implemented in three phases.

In the first phase, the selected bidder must deploy a minimum of 50% of the e-fleet comprising 1/3 and 2/3 proportion number of high-speed e-scooters and low-speed e-scooters across a 50% of the shortlisted locations across Dwarka sub-city. This will be executed within six months of signing the agreement.

Phases 2 and 3 consist of the deployment of an additional 25% e-fleet comprising either high-speed or low-speed e-scooters or in combinations of the e-fleet mix at the additional 25% of the locations across the sub-city.

The high-speed e-scooters must have a lithium-ion electric motor power capacity of 1,000W and achieve a minimum speed of 40 km/h at full payload. They should have an 80 km range on a single charge.

The low-speed e-scooters must have a lithium-ion electric motor power capacity of 250W and achieve a minimum speed of 25 km/h at full payload. They should have a 40 km range on a single charge.

Eligible bidders should be a registered company, Limited Liability Partnership, original equipment manufacturer (OEM), authorized dealer of OEMs, or fleet aggregator of e-scooters. If the bidding entity is a start-up, it should possess a valid Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion certificate.

The bidders must have a positive net worth as of March 31, 2023.

This is the second invitation for bids for the electric scooters in Dwarka. Last September, the government invited bids to deploy 3,000 e-scooters to improve last-mile connectivity.

According to the recent data released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways through its Vahan Dashboard, EV sales in India reached a record 1.53 million units in 2023, a jump of over 50% year-over-year against the million units sold in 2022.