The United States and India have collaborated to expand the availability of electric buses in India. An estimated 10,000 electric buses will be launched on the streets in India under the collaboration, according to media reports.
US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said that the United States government is working with India to get more electric buses on the streets of Indian cities. “We have launched an initiative to have 10,000 electric buses be on Indian streets,” he said.
Garcetti says, “We know that electric buses can change the world. They are quieter and cleaner. They help us reduce our carbon and give us a future where our planet will be livable. It is one of the reasons, the US Govt is working together with our friends in the Govt of India to get more electric buses on the streets of Indian cities quicker. We have launched an initiative to help 10,000 electric buses be on Indian streets…”
In August this year, the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved a bus scheme “PM-eBus Sewa” for augmenting city bus operation with 10,000 e-buses on the ‘Public Private Partnership’ (PPP) model.
The scheme would have an estimated cost of Rs 57,613 crore, out of which support of Rs.20,000 crore will be provided by the Central government. The scheme will support bus operations for 10 years.
Reaching the unreached
The scheme will cover cities with populations of three lakhs and more as per the census 2011 including all the Capital cities of Union Territories, North Eastern region and hill states. Under this scheme, priority will be given to cities having no organised bus service.
Direct Employment Generation:
The scheme will generate 45,000 to 55,000 direct jobs through the deployment of around 10,000 buses in city bus operations.
The scheme has two segments:
Segment A – Augmenting the City bus services (169 cities)
The approved bus scheme will augment city bus operations with 10,000 e-buses on the Public Private Partnership model.
Associated Infrastructure will provide support for the development or up-gradation of depot infrastructure; and the creation of behind-the-meter power infrastructure (substation, etc.) for e-buses.
Segment B– Green Urban Mobility Initiatives (181 cities)
The scheme envisages green initiatives like bus priority, infrastructure, multimodal interchange facilities, NCMC-based automated fare collection systems, charging infrastructure, etc.
Support for Operation:
Under the scheme, states or cities shall be responsible for running the bus services and making payments to the bus operators. The Centre will support these bus operations by providing subsidies to the extent specified in the proposed scheme.
Boost to E-Mobility:
The scheme will promote e-mobility and provide full support for behind-the-meter power infrastructure. Cities will also be supported for the development of charging infrastructure under Green Urban Mobility Initiatives.
The support to bus priority infrastructure shall not only accelerate the proliferation of state-of-the-art, energy-efficient electric buses but also foster innovation in the e-mobility sector as well as the development of a resilient supply chain for electric vehicles.
This scheme shall also bring in economies of scale for the procurement of electric buses through aggregation for e-buses. Adoption of Electric mobility will reduce noise and air pollution and curb carbon emissions.
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