New Delhi: A new fleet of electric buses, which will be smaller than the metro feeder buses, will soon be seen on city roads. These will strengthen last-mile connectivity to congested colonies and boost the electric public transport network.Delhi govt has decided to procure 500 seven-metre e-buses under the Centre’s PM E-DRIVE Scheme. This is part of a larger proposal to bring 3,330 more such vehicles to the roads in the second phase of the city’s e-transport expansion. Officials said the buses will run on narrow stretches and interior roads where bigger buses struggle to operate. This will improve electric transport access to congested colonies and enhance feeder connectivity to metro stations.The proposal was sent to a central agency handling aggregated procurement of electric buses. Besides the 500 buses, govt has sought 2,330 9-metre buses for feeder and smaller routes, and 500 12-metre buses for the main arterial corridors and high-density stretches. All the buses will be low-floor and air-conditioned.“We placed orders for the first lot of 500 seven-metre buses that will operate in Delhi for the first time. Following all the clearances and financial assistance from the Centre, we expect these buses by 2027-28 in batches. Delhi govt aims to ensure that in the coming months, the bus fleet becomes one of the largest and cleanest electric bus networks in the world,” CM Rekha Gupta said.Transport minister Pankaj Singh said the tender process has started. Residents in densely populated colonies often depend on e-rickshaws or private vehicles to reach main roads or metro stations. The mini buses are aimed at bridging this gap by providing reliable, scheduled services closer to their homes.Despite their smaller size, the buses will offer features similar to the existing nine-metre DEVI electric buses.These include CCTV cameras for passenger safety, panic buttons, GPS tracking and real-time passenger information systems. The low-floor design is expected to particularly benefit senior citizens, women and persons with disabilities.A senior govt official said thta while the additional requirement — separate from the already sanctioned 2,800 buses under Phase-1 — was requested under the subsidy model, Delhi govt is prepared to bear the financial burden if required in order to avoid delays.At present, 5,336 govt buses run in Delhi. Of these, over 4,000 are electric buses, which include over 1,200 nine-metre DEVI buses, around 2,000 12-metre buses and 100 feeder buses. According to the chief minister, more than 5,000 electric buses will be criss-cross the national capital’s roads by March this year, and the total fleet is planned to increase to 13,760 buses by 2028.Officials expect the fleet to expand significantly over the coming months, with the eventual induction of 3,330 additional buses is expected to further strengthen connectivity and position Delhi among the cities with the largest electric bus fleets in the country.
