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Delhi has added another 350 electric buses to its fleet. On Wednesday, VK Saxena, Delhi's Lt Governor and Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi flagged off these electric buses. With the addition of the new buses, Delhi currently has 1,650 electric buses. It now ranks number one with highest number of electric buses among all cities in India. Globally, Delhi is placed at number three among cities with highest e-buses, said Kejriwal.
The 350 electric buses introduced on Wednesday have been already pressed into service. 300 of them have been inducted to the cluster bus fleet while the rest are operating as part of the Delhi Transport Corporation fleet. These electric buses have been manufactured by JBM. These low-floor electric buses come with a range of around 250 kms on a single charge. All the e-buses are equipped with GPS, CCTV, panic buttons among other safety features for passengers.
All these electric buses have been provided to Delhi by the Centre under FAME-II scheme. At the flag-off ceremony, Kejriwal said, “With these, the overall number of electric buses in Delhi has gone up to 1,650. Delhi currently has the highest number of electric buses among all cities in India. Globally, Delhi is third on the list of cities with highest number of electric buses."
Electric buses are part of Delhi government's plans to achieve zero emission in public transport. VK Saxena said, "These electric buses will play a crucial in controlling the pollution in Delhi. We are confident that initiatives like these will help in controlling the pollution in Delhi. Our effort is to gradually replace CNG buses with electric buses in the bus fleet," VK Saxena, L-G of Delhi, said.
Since 2022, Delhi has added 1,300 electric buses. According to the transport ministry, these electric buses have already covered 5.8 crore kilometres helping to reduce 47,000 tons of carbon dioxide from emitting. The electric buses now contribute to more than 10 per cent of Delhi's overall 7,582 public buses under operation. The government plans electric buses to constitute 80 per cent of the city's bus fleet soon.