PM eBus Sewa scheme; aims at adding 10,000 electric buses to the public transportation networks of 169 eligible cities

According to officials in the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, the Union government was getting ready to release tenders for 3,000 of the 10,000 electric buses that were planned to be built under the PM eBus Sewa project. The Cabinet approved the plan in August to introduce 10,000 electric buses to the 169 qualified cities' public transport systems.

The ministry's instructions state that smaller cities with less access to public transit will be given priority under the initiative. The buses will be purchased through a public-private partnership (PPP), with the operators receiving a payment from the government each km. Officials predict that the first bus tender under PM e-Bus Sewa will be released shortly.

Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri stated at the opening of the 16th Urban Mobility India Conference that the PM e-Bus Sewa will assist towns in building depots and electrical infrastructure.

According to him, the nation's metro networks already span 895 kilometres, and in the next two to three years, they will overtake the US to become the second biggest in the world, behind China.

The joint India-US statement issued following US President Joe Biden's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the margins of the G20 Summit in September included a reference to PM e-Bus Sewa. According to the announcement, the US and India will collaborate to develop a payment security system for the electric bus programme.