Staff Writer
New Delhi: In a major push towards sustainable urban mobility, the central government has approved the deployment of approximately 10,900 electric buses across five major Indian cities under the current phase of the PM E-Drive scheme. The announcement was made by Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, H. D. Kumaraswamy, following a high-level meeting to review the progress of the scheme’s rollout.
The cities set to benefit from this ambitious clean mobility initiative include Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Surat. According to an official statement released after the meeting, the allocation of buses will be as follows: Bengaluru will receive around 4,500 electric buses, Delhi 2,800, Hyderabad 2,000, Ahmedabad 1,000, and Surat 600.
“This is not merely about allocating electric buses—we are shaping the future of India’s transport system with innovation and environmental consciousness,” said Minister Kumaraswamy. He emphasized the growing commitment of urban centers to transition towards cleaner and more efficient public transport systems. “From Bengaluru to Delhi, cities are actively embracing electric buses to make public transport cleaner, smarter, and more efficient,” he added.
The PM E-Drive scheme, launched to accelerate the electrification of public transport in India, aims to deploy a total of 14,028 electric buses nationwide. With a financial outlay of ₹10,900 crore, the scheme will be implemented over a two-year period from April 2024 to March 2026. Kumaraswamy underlined the scale of the project, calling it one of the world’s largest national efforts to electrify public transport.
The Minister also stressed the importance of cooperative federalism in achieving the scheme’s objectives. “With close coordination between the Centre and states like Telangana, Karnataka, Delhi, and Gujarat, we are determined to deliver on the PM E-Drive promise,” he stated.
In addition to electric buses, the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) has expanded the scope of the scheme to include the deployment of e-ambulances and e-trucks. An allocation of ₹500 crore each has been earmarked for these two segments. The introduction of e-ambulances is aimed at improving patient comfort and reducing carbon emissions in healthcare transportation. For e-trucks, which are known to be significant contributors to urban air pollution, the government has made it mandatory to submit a scrapping certificate from a Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) approved Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility (RVSF) in order to avail the subsidy.
To further encourage the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), the Ministry has also introduced e-vouchers for individual buyers. These vouchers will serve as demand incentives, making EVs more accessible to the general public.
With this comprehensive approach, the government aims to not only reduce carbon emissions but also to foster innovation, create green jobs, and lay the foundation for a robust and future-ready public transport infrastructure in India.