Delhi Eyes Global Rank With E-Bus Fleet

From the automakers’ side, moving the synchromesh to ‘D’ and pressing down on a green gas pedal to surge ahead will be Tata Motors, PMI Electro Mobility Solutions and JBM Auto. The ‘Purchase Order’ given to them is tall, but to the point — put India on the green map, cut out fossil fuels and emissions, add a feather to India’s cap, make us proud.

This Delhi government directive to bus-makers gives them a deeper push into Delhi-NCR, India’s largest electric bus market. As part of Delhi’s proposed Electric Vehicles Policy, to be announced soon, the move will offer a boost to the overall electric vehicle market amid efforts to reduce emissions. The total e-buses in Delhi’s public transport fleet will jump to 15,000.

First Big Move From Delhi’s Double-Engine Govt

In the driver’s seat after 26 years, Delhi’s new government is in overdrive, eyeing a global rank by adopting e-buses. It is a big move. Officials said Delhi is targeting 100-per cent electrification of its bus fleet at a time when India, as a whole, has just reported a 6-per cent decline in sales of electric buses, as per data available on Vahan (a total of 3,314 e-buses sold in FY25).

In January, amid a debate on public transport system options in the National Capital, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “Over 1,200 buses given by the central government are already operational in Delhi, and more will be added soon.”

The PM said this during Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary celebrations in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan (old Parliament Building). With the BJP now in power, the Delhi government is going flat out to increase the fleet size and ring in his words.

He spoke of other schemes too, such as electricity generation from rooftops — powering households and charging EVs — with the larger objective of cutting down spends on fossil fuels and curbing pollution.

Tata Motors Leads E-Bus Race, Others Playing Catch-Up

Company-wise figures show Tata Motors sold 545 units to Delhi in FY25, half its India sales. With 331 units, Delhi made up 69 per cent of PMI Electro Mobility’s e-bus dispatches, while JBM Auto sold 86 units, a fourth of its total numbers. With 945 new buses, Delhi bought a third of the e-buses sold in a country where overall penetration is, even now, just 4.7 per cent.

The slowdown in e-bus adoption has primarily been a fallout of bottlenecks in the availability of charging stations, as also lower subsidies offered under the E-Drive scheme. “Surat, Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru have raised a demand for 15,000 e-buses, which is well above the overall scheme target. That is the reason for the subsidy cuts,” officials explained.

Experts feel Delhi’s move could open up a ‘carrot and stick’ race in this space. “All states want to be seen as progressive, in sync with the green objectives laid out by the Centre. The steps taken by Delhi will provide a substantial boost to the market and create a me-too surge in demand, benefiting manufacturers and the public,” Saket Mehra at Grant Thornton India said.

Automakers have read into his words, it seems, for they are amping up output. Joining the three leading the Delhi e-bus race is Ashok Leyland’s Switch Mobility Automotive, in talks with component partners to hike procurement as it raises production. It may also shut down its UK operations and increase capacities at its new Ennore and Hosur plants in Tamil Nadu.

Delhi BJP Building On AAP’s Agenda

In addition to going electric with its buses, there are moves to introduce 280 ‘Mohalla Buses’ for easy transport in densely-populated, narrow-laned areas. This is part of a broader plan to add 1,040 mini-electric buses, addressing connectivity challenges in remote areas with eco-friendly transport.

City authorities have sought ‘expressions of interest’ for e-scooter and e-cycle transport. In all, 3,500 permits have been issued, many for female drivers. Further, to address battery charging issues, tenders have been floated for battery-swapping facilities in the Capital. Along with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, three-wheeler e-rickshaw services have also been introduced.

Yet another move that replaces an earlier initiative by the previous AAP government, is the introduction of Lifetime Smartcards for women travellers, enabling free commutes for them on Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses. The move will do away with the existing ‘Pink Ticket’ system, replacing it with a digitised framework. 

To return to where we began, since 2018, Shenzhen has been the only global metropolis with a fully-electric bus fleet, with 16,000 such vehicles in operation. In Europe, the Netherlands, Finland, and Iceland have near-100 per cent battery-driven city bus services since 2024. Their few remaining non-electric buses run on CNG — ‘no emission’.

Other global cities are also adding to their electric fleets to go green, a direct outcome of the Paris Agreement, often lampooned for being "weak" and "lacking ambition". Admittedly, the Paris treaty lacks legally-binding commitments and faces a ‘free-rider problem’ — countries not contributing significantly can still benefit as much as those that do their bit.

Amid this global green trajectory, or the lack of it, India’s moves in Delhi are commendable. They are certainly something that every Indian should be proud of, as and when these are implemented and function in totality. After all, who wouldn’t celebrate having a green thumb, especially when they can flag down any one of 15,000 e-buses?

(The writer is a veteran journalist and communications specialist. Views are personal)