Delhi to add 200 electric buses to cluster fleet in January

Delhi is likely to add 200 electric buses to its cluster fleet in the new year, taking their total number to 1,500, officials said on Friday.

The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) currently operates 1,300 electric buses in the national capital, 500 of which were flagged off earlier this month.

An official said, "The Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Limited (DIMTS) monitors and manages the cluster buses. While electric buses have already been added to the DTC fleet, the DIMTS will get 200 soon."

"A hundred buses have already arrived and the remainder are expected to arrive in batches. We are expecting the arrival of 100 more buses and these are likely to be flagged off in mid-January," the official said.

Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot later said the addition of the new buses will be another milestone for the city government.

"Under the leadership of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, we will be achieving another milestone -- soon 200 new electric buses will be inducted into the cluster fleet. With the existing 1,300 buses from DTC, this expansion not only fortifies Delhi's transport system but also contributes significantly to our ongoing battle against pollution," Gahlot told PTI.

He further said, "Overall, around 3,000 electric buses will be inducted in the cluster bus fleet. Our aim is clear -- attaining an 80 per cent electric bus fleet by 2025 and we are steadily progressing towards this ambitious target."

The DIMTS has a fleet of 3,043 cluster buses, 2,841 of which are operational, another official said.

"The DIMTS will receive 3,160 new electric buses. The old ones are being phased out with 682 taken off the roads till now," he added.

The official said the DIMTS inducted 790 CNG-run buses, 750 of which are operational and on the roads.

Cluster buses were introduced in Delhi with the aim of replacing Blue Line buses that were phased out in 2012.

By the end of 2025, the total number of buses in Delhi will go up to 10,480. Of these, 80 per cent will be electric, Gahlot said after flagging off 500 electric buses on December 14.

"We aim to surpass 8,000 electric buses by the end of 2025. Once the number of electric buses crosses 8,000, Delhi will be included among those select cities in the world with the highest number of electric buses in operation," he had said.

"The work orders for 6,000 electric buses have already been issued. Approximately 50 to 100 electric buses will be added to the fleet every month," he had added.