Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal flagged off the first DTC electric bus by doing a hawan puja (an auspicious Hindu ritual) on Monday. During the ceremony, Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gehlot and DTC CMD Neeraj Semwal were also present. According to CM Kejriwal after the prototype of the electric bus, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) will procure 300 more e-buses by April this year. The electric buses will cover a minimum distance of 120 km and arrangements of charging points are underway, Kejriwal added.
"It is an important measure to control pollution; 300 such E-buses will start till April, the target is 2000. It'll cover a minimum distance of 120 km; charging points are being arranged," Delhi's chief minister said.
The first electric bus in Delhi was flagged off from the Indraprashtha's depot today. It will be running in a 27-km route. Manufactured by JBM Auto Limited, the e-bus will run till Pragati Maidan via ITO, Tilak Marg, Mandi House, Barakhamba Road, Connaught Place, Janpath, Rajesh Pilot Marg, Prithviraj Road, Arvindo Marg, Safdarjung, Ring Road, South Extension, Ashram, Bhogal, Jangpura, India Gate and High Court. The new electric bus will be able to charge in 1.5 hours.
"This is a new dawn in Delhi's Transport System. A significant step towards a pollution-free Delhi. It has ZERO emissions, can be charged in 1.5 hours, and runs a minimum of 120 km. Overall we'll have 2,000 such buses; 300 by April," the Aam Aadmi Party said.
The Delhi transport department in October last year floated tenders for induction of 140 low-floor, air-conditioned electric buses, aiming to strengthen the public transport fleet and check air pollution in the city. The DTC Board has also approved the induction of 1,245 low-floor buses, including 1,015 electric buses, to augment the aging fleet of the public transporter in the national capital.
In December last year, Karnataka launched its first-ever electric bus for public transportation. JBM Auto Ltd has manufactured the e-bus. Currently, 25 electric buses are plying on Karnataka's road. These buses have features like Real Time Passenger Information System (PIS), Panic Buttons for emergency, Automatic Bus Vehicle Location System, CCTV cameras, Public address system, Stop request buttons, etc.
Last year, JBM supplied 90 and 15 electric buses in Ahmedabad and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, respectively.
