New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday flagged off the first electric bus of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC). Kejriwal said it is an “important milestone” in Delhi’s transport landscape.
Kejriwal said, “Today, Delhi has got its first electric bus and it is an important milestone in various aspects. First, it is the beginning of a new era in the transport sector in Delhi. In the coming years, these electric buses will replace the old fleet of buses in Delhi.
He said, “This is an important step to control pollution in Delhi. It is a noise-free, zero-emission vehicle.
Kejriwal said the bus takes 1-1.5 hours to get fully charged and once fully charged, it can cover a distance of at least 120 km. “Delhi will have 300 electric buses by April and we are planning to run 2,000 more such buses in the next few years,” he said.
The prototype bus, which arrived earlier this month, will run on the 27-km-long route E44 (from Pragati Maidan to IP Depot via ITO, Safdarjung, Ashram). It is manufactured by JBM Auto Limited.
50 more e-buses are expected to be inducted into the DTC fleet next month, when the roll out for public transport on a large scale begins.
There are a total of 2,300 electric buses in the pipeline. Of these, 1,300 would be procured by DTC and the rest 1,000 would work under the cluster scheme.
The Delhi government will equip the bus depots with charging stations for these e-buses. This will be done in phases.
The plan to include e-buses in Delhi was first announced in July 2018. In future, the Delhi government will only procure electric buses.
first published:Jan. 17, 2022, 1:42 p.m.
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