NEW DELHI: The Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal, along with Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, flagged off a fleet of 500 electric buses, thus increasing Delhi’s electric bus fleet to 1,300.
The government of Delhi is planning to induct nearly 8,000 electric buses to its public transport fleet by the end of 2025. If this goal is achieved within the prescribed timeline, as determined by the government, 80 per cent of the Delhi bus fleet of 10,000 buses will run on electricity.
After waving the green flag to the newly inducted 500 buses, Kejriwal said that electric buses will provide an environment-friendly travel option as the pollution level is high in the national capital.
VK Saxena posted on X where he said the electric buses are being provided under the central government’s Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) II scheme. He said, “Of the total allocation of 1,500 buses under this scheme for Delhi, 921 are being provided at a subsidy of ₹416.82 crore by the Central government. For the remaining 579 buses, the GNCTD is bearing the subsidy of ₹262.04 cr.”
Kailash Gahlot, Minister for Transport, told the reporters that electric buses are game changers in abating pollution as they come in handy in controlling greenhouse gas emissions. He added, “According to various reports, a CNG bus emits 800 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre. One electric bus saves that much amount of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere.”