The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a scheme to add 10,000 e-buses to city bus services across the country, and to shore up urban infrastructure under green mobility initiatives with a focus on cities having no organised bus services.
An e-bus is any bus whose propulsion and accessory systems are powered exclusively by a zero-emissions electricity source.
The PM e-bus Sewa scheme will have an estimated cost of ₹57,613 crore, of which the Centre will provide ₹20,000 crore. It will support bus operations for 10 years, an official statement said.
PPP model for e-buses
The scheme will be implemented in two segments, according to Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur. In 169 cities, 10,000 e-buses will be deployed using a public-private partnership (PPP) model; in 181 other cities, infrastructure will be upgraded under the green urban mobility initiatives.
For cities in the first segment, depot infrastructure will also be developed or upgraded to support the new e-buses, including the creation of behind-the-meter power infrastructure like substations.
For those in the second segment, initiatives will focus on bus priority, infrastructure, multimodal interchange facilities, automated fare collection systems, and charging infrastructure.
Cities with a population of three lakh and above will be covered under the scheme, including all the capital cities of Union Territories, and the northeastern and hill States.
45,000 new jobs
States or cities will be responsible for running the bus services and making payments to the bus operators. The Central government will support these bus operations by providing subsidies to the extent specified in the scheme.
Around 45,000 to 55,000 direct jobs are expected to be generated via the scheme, the statement said.
The adoption of electric mobility services will help reduce noise and air pollution in Indian cities and also curb carbon emissions. This scheme is also expected to bring in economies of scale for the procurement of electric buses through aggregation.
