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More electric buses will ply on the roads in the national capital by the end of this year. The Delhi transport department has given the nod to float tenders for 400 electric buses which could be a part of its cluster bus network by late 2021, Hindustan Times reported citing a government official.

Go electric

The government official told HT that tenders would be floated in the coming week. As of now, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has 300 e-buses. The Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government has plans of having 1,000 operational e-buses by mid-2022. This is a part of the government’s larger plan of inducting 4,000 e-buses by the end of 2022. The national capital currently has around 7,000 buses, which includes DTC and cluster bus networks.
The official further added that after the induction of the 400 e-buses, Delhi could have the largest fleet of e-buses in the country.

Right now, Pune has a fleet comprising of 600 e-buses. In the previous week, the Delhi cabinet approved starting the bidding process for 160 low-floor AC buses. In January, funds were approved for 1,000 low-floor buses but the process of tender and bidding got delayed due to the pandemic.

Electric vehicle policy

This plan of inducting e-buses is in line with the Delhi government’s xelectric vehicle policy which was notified in August 2020. The policy aims to make sure that at least 25% of all vehicles in the national capital by 2023 are electric.

It is a part of Delhi’s long-term action plan in combatting pollution and ensuring the air is clean. The buses are expected to comply with the emission standards outlined under BS-VI and will have GPS, CCTV cameras and panic buttons for additional security for women. A control room has been set up in Kashmere Gate for the real-time tracking of its fleet.