Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched 350 electric buses, increasing the total to 1,650 and reinforcing the city’s fight against pollution. Out of these, 300 joined the cluster bus fleet, while 50 integrated into the Delhi Transport Corporation fleet.
Saxena highlighted the addition as a significant step in controlling pollution, emphasizing the city’s transition from diesel and petrol Blue Line buses to CNG buses and now electric ones. The effort is to gradually replace CNG buses with electric ones in the overall bus fleet, contributing to Delhi’s environmental sustainability.
The buses operate from various depots equipped with safety features, including GPS, CCTV, and panic buttons. Delhi has become the first city in India and the third globally with the highest number of electric buses. The initiative has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 47,000 tons in Delhi since 2022, covering a distance of 5.8 crore kilometres.
The future plan envisions 80% of the bus fleet being electric, with a total of 10,480 buses. The ‘Mohalla Bus’ service, announced in the 2023-24 Delhi budget, is anticipated to be introduced in the next 15 to 20 days, further enhancing last-mile connectivity with nine-metre electric buses.
