In line with its green mobility initiative, the government is set to expand the electric bus (e-Bus) network across the country, as confirmed by a senior government official.
Hardeep Singh Puri, the Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, stated that while initially, e-Bus services were available in nine cities through FAME 1 and 2, this service will now be extended to more cities.
He highlighted the challenge of meeting the growing demand for public transportation, especially in smaller cities, where private players in the unorganized sector are insufficient to meet the needs. Currently, there are around 40,000 organized sector buses in cities, but there’s a requirement for a minimum of 1.2-1.5 lakh buses.
Manoj Joshi, Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, emphasized that the new plan would also focus on smaller cities that were previously not included. Furthermore, Joshi mentioned that 10,000 buses are set to be launched under PM-e-Bus Sewa in 169 cities, with orders for 5,000 buses received from state governments, which have also provided guarantees for these orders.
