Centre To Deploy 38,000 E-buses In 5 Yrs Under PM-eBus Sewa

Briefing the media about the recently approved Prime Minister eBus Sewa-Payment Security Mechanism (PSM) scheme, the Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, H D Kumaraswamy stated that the scheme will support the deployment of more than 38,000 electric buses (e-Buses) from the financial year 2024-25 (FY25) to FY29.

The Minister shared with media that the Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi has approved the scheme for procurement and operation of e-buses by Public Transport Authorities (PTAs) with an outlay of Rs 3,435.33 crore.

Briefing the media in New Delhi on Thursday, the minister stated that the scheme will support the operation of e-buses for a period of up to 12 years from the date of deployment. He said that, at present, the majority of buses operated by PTAs run on diesel/CNG, causing adverse environmental impact. On the other hand, e-buses are environment friendly and have lower operational costs.

Stating that the Union Cabinet has also approved the proposal for the implementation of the PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) Scheme for the promotion of electric mobility in the country, the minister highlighted that the scheme has an outlay of Rs 10,900 crore over a period of two years.

The minister pointed out that subsidies/demand incentives worth Rs 3,679 crore have been provided to incentivize electric- two-wheelers (e-2Ws), e-3Ws, e-ambulances and e-trucks. The scheme will support 24.79 lakh e-2Ws, 3.16 lakh e-3Ws, and 14,028 e-buses.

The Ministry of Heavy Industries is introducing e-vouchers for EV buyers to avail demand incentives under the scheme. At the time of purchase of the EV, the scheme portal will generate an Aadhaar authenticated e-Voucher for the buyer.

The scheme allocates Rs 500 crore for the deployment of e-ambulances, while a sum of Rs 4,391 crore has been provided for the procurement of 14,028 e-buses by STUs/public transport agencies. On the other hand, Rs 500 crore has been allocated for incentivising e-trucks. The scheme proposes the installation of 22,100 fast chargers for electric four-wheelers, 1800 fast chargers for e-buses and 48,400 fast chargers for e-2W/3Ws, as stated by the minister.