In order to promote clean mobility in public transportation, the Department of Heavy Industry (DHI) under the Ministry of Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises, has granted the approval for 5,595 electric buses to be deployed in 64 cities under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME-II) program.

In June 2019, the Department of Heavy Industry invited expressions of interest from state transport departments for the deployment of 5,000 electric buses under the FAME II program. The deployment of electric buses will be on an operational cost model basis.

A total of 86 proposals from 26 states and union territories for the deployment of 14,988 e-buses, were received.

After the evaluation of these proposals, the government has granted approval for 5,095 electric buses in 64 cities and state transport corporations for intra-city operation, 400 electric buses for intercity operation and 100 electric buses for last-mile connectivity to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), the official statement reads.

The buses will run 4 billion kilometers during their contract period and are expected to save nearly 1.2 liters of fuel over the contract period which will help in reducing 2.6 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

As per the statement, each selected city or union territory is required to initiate the procurement process in a time-bound manner for the deployment of sanctioned electric buses on an operational cost basis.

Various state governments have acknowledged the vital role of clean public transportation for a sustainable future. Lately, numerous states have floated EoIs for the same.

For instance, in June 2019, Mercom reported that the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) came up with a proposal to deploy 350 electric buses in five cities in the state.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has also deployed 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.

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