Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi flags off the first electric bus of the Delhi Transport Corporation’s (DTC). Transport Minister, Kailash Gahlot was also present there. 300 more electric buses will be operational by April.
The low-floor AC bus which is 12-metre long has panic buttons and CCTV and was run on a trial between IP Depot and Pragati Maidan. The electric bus can get charged in 1.5 hours. The buses are manufactured by JBM Auto Limited.
Arvind Kejriwal said, “This is the first electric bus in Delhi to become operational. It is important in many ways. It is the beginning of a new era in the transport sector in Delhi.”
“I believe gradually electric buses will replace the old buses. It is a major step towards controlling pollution in the city. It is noise-free and has zero-emission. By April, we expect another 300 buses to reach Delhi. Our target is to run around 2,000 more electric buses in the coming years,” he added.
“Another important development is that since 2011, not a single new bus has been inducted in the DTC fleet… whenever we tried we ran into some problem. Today, this bus has been added to the fleet finally. The bus takes 1-1.5 hours to charge fully, as per fast charging. In one complete charge, it can travel up to 120 kilometres. All depots are being equipped with charging facilities,” he concluded.
The electric bus will run in a 27-km route till Pragati Maidan via ITO, Tilak Marg, Mandi House, Barakhamba Road, Connaught Place, Janpath, Rajesh Pilot Marg, Prithviraj Road, Arvindo Marg, Safdarjung, Ring Road, South Extension, Ashram, Bhogal, Jangpura, India Gate and High Court.
