NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi led cabinet has approved the “PM-eBus Sewa” scheme. This scheme aims to improve the bus operation system by adding nearly 10,000 e-buses in the PPP model. Estimated cost of the scheme is ₹57,613 crore out of which ₹20,000 crore would be provided by the Government of India.
This scheme will run for a period of 10 years, covering major cities with population above the three lakh mark as per census 2011 and the capital cities of all union territories, north-eastern regions and hill states. However, cities with no organised bus services will be on the priority list. The scheme will boost employment generation by adding 45,000 to 55,000 direct jobs.
PM-eBus Sewa scheme comprises of two segments. Segment one aims to augment city bus services and will be implemented in 169 cities. Segment two is more about Green Urban Mobility Initiatives (GUMI) and will be implemented in 181 cities. It aims to boost green initiatives such as multimodal interchange facilities, NCMC based automated fare collection systems, charging infrastructure, etc.