Cabinet approves 10,000 E-buses in 169 cities
Seeking to enhance green mobility, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the ‘PM-eBus Sewa’ scheme under which 10,000 electric buses will be provided to 169 cities under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
The scheme would have an estimated cost of ₹ 57,613 crore out of which Rs 20,000 crore will be provided by the central government and the remaining will be borne by states, Union Minister Anurag Thakur told a press conference.
He said priority will be given to those cities which do not have an organised bus service. The scheme would continue till 2037, the information and broadcasting minister said.
Ten thousand e-buses will be deployed under the PPP model, he said and added that infrastructure will also be upgraded in 181 cities under green urban mobility initiatives.
The scheme has two segments — augmenting city bus services in 169 cities and green urban mobility initiatives in 181 cities.
The Union Cabinet met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and approved the ‘PM-eBus Sewa’ scheme with a total outlay of ₹ 57,613 crore, the minister said.
The e-buses would be made available in cities with a population between 5 lakh and 40 lakh, he said and added that the scheme will support bus operations for 10 years.