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Over the past few years, West Bengal’s e-mobility transition has been moving in opposite directions. The new state government, however, is promising to undertake course correction.
West Bengal was among the pioneer states in India as far as electric buses (e-buses) are concerned. Eighty buses were introduced in Kolkata in 2019. That programme though has stumbled, with hardly 40 new buses being added over the last seven years. This is mainly due to inconsistent government policy.
The number of electrically operated three- and personal four-wheelers has risen sharply, courtesy market forces. Figures show that overall, electric vehicle (EV) registrations in Bengal jumped to 1,33,388 units by 2025-2026, pushing EV penetration in the state to 9.8 per cent, above the national average of 8.2 per cent.
State transport minister Arjun Singh however promised to undertake course correction by adding 400 environment friendly buses, including e-buses, soon. “We have already floated a tender for 400 environment friendly buses including a substantial number of e-buses, which will be opened shortly,” Singh told this correspondent on August 25. “The manufacturing companies will have to organise everything - from procuring to running to setting up charging stations (mainly in our depots) to maintaining the buses and collecting ticket revenues. We will pay them an amount for every kilometre travelled,” explained the minister.
Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of Research and Advocacy at Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), who has long identified Kolkata as a uniquely positioned frontrunner for rapid EV adoption, pins hope on EVs as a potential game-changer for the city’s environment and climate resilience.
Kolkata is the most polluted metropolitan city in India after Delhi and also one of the most climatically vulnerable in South Asia, according UN reports.
In late 2017, the Housing Infrastructure and Development Corporation (HIDCO) and Coal India launched Kolkata’s very first e-bus service in New Town. The state, however, announced the initiation of commercially operated e-bus services only in February 2019, with a fleet of 80 buses. The present Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikary was the transport minister at the time. Later though, most Indian states whizzed past Bengal in terms of e-bus numbers.
India has over 14,000 e-buses operating across various states and Union territories, led by Delhi with about 5,000 units. The national capital is followed by Maharashtra with about 3,300 e-buses, Karnataka with around 2,300 and Uttar Pradesh with over 850 e-buses.
Though the subsequent transport minister and also mayor of Kolkata, Firhad Hakim, promised to bring over 1,000 e-buses and only have e-buses in state transport units by 2030, governmental policy and actions did not match his commitment.
“While state transport initially opted for the OpEx day-to-day operating expenditure system, shifting from the high-cost CapEx or capital expenditure system; a section in the transport administration tried to do away with it earlier allegedly for corrupt reasons,” claimed a transport department insider in the know of the development. “Later, the transport department highlighted CNG buses as a better alternative on cost factor, though it was quite clear that CNG’s availability was uncertain and e-buses are the long-term solution and being opted for in most part of the country. As a result, e-buses hardly gained in number since 2019 in West Bengal,” he added.
“The confirmed 120 e-bus fleet, as mentioned in the last budget, falls well short of the 1,260-bus target the transport department had set for 2025 just three years earlier, and still further behind an earlier public ambition of 2,000 e-buses by the end of 2025,” explained Aditi Kundu, an EV expert. “In late June 2025, West Bengal Transport Corporation initiated procurement of around 200 CNG-run buses, a move read at the time as a sign that the state’s all-electric transition was slowing,” Kundu added.
A TERI case study found e-bus reliability had improved to 98 per cent despite early-stage challenges, with generally positive rider feedback on comfort. The report pointed out that modelled annual carbon dioxide savings was estimated at 3,094 tonnes, based on a typical daily usage of 100 km per bus.
In 2025, a research paper at the University of Washington in the United States showed that e-rickshaws, ‘Totos’ in local parlance, dominated the EV sector in Bengal. “Electric rickshaws — locally called “totos” — represent Kolkata and West Bengal’s largest electric mobility segment by vehicle count, but the fleet grew largely outside formal registration and safety oversight,” explained non-profit Switch Onn in a report.
According to West Bengal Transport Department sources, the number of total e-rickshaws or Totos (combining legally registered and not registered) must be over one million in the state. Most run on the fringes and suburbs of Kolkata, being heavily concentrated in newly developed townships and municipal area borders to provide critical last-mile connectivity. “The number of Totos is booming, and they are replacing petrol-run auto rickshaws, because of their comparative market friendliness in terms of both capital and running cost,” said Balai Saha, a Toto driver from Howrah, who earlier drive autos.
“It’s a fact. We have recently found in our survey that, because of market forces, many autos have now started to shift to electrical mode, in areas like Howrah and Khidirpur and likewise, nearly 20 per cent of the conventional auto fleet now runs on electric,” shared Aniket Banerjee, a transport expert and general secretary of Kolkata bus-o-pedia, one of the largest bus fanning organisations in eastern India.
According to state government sources, electric two-wheeler registrations reached 27,769 units in late 2025, a 15 per cent rise over the earlier year.
Kolkata accounts for the lion’s share of spikes in EV registrations in the state, recording hundreds of four-wheeler EV registrations monthly as buyers shift from traditional petrol- and diesel-driven cars, pointed out car dealers.
“Earlier, the ratio of petrol and diesel cars sold to that of EV cars was 4:1, or even less for EVs. But now, it’s almost three each to two with Tata Motors being the market leader as it has the early-mover advantage,” pointed out a South Kolkata-based dealer. “The fact that a few initial hitches have now been sorted and commercial charging has become easier alongside personal charging, many multistoried apartments now have separate charging facilities. Hence, people are opting for electric cars. I have been using an e-car for about three years and have not faced any major problem … I charge from my own electrical source,” pointed out Snehasish Biswas, a retired bank employee.
Under the Comprehensive Electric Mobility Plan developed by NITI Aayog and the Asian Development Bank, Kolkata aims for private four-wheeler EVs to capture a 15 per cent market share by 2030.
“Electric cars, cabs, and autos are gaining stronger traction in West Bengal especially in the capital region, despite a lack of active financial incentives, demonstrating growing market demand. With supportive policies—such as zero-emission vehicle mandates, clear regulatory targets, and expanded charging infrastructure—urban West Bengal is well-positioned to accelerate its clean energy transition,” explained Roychowdhury.
“Although e-car adoption is just five per cent statewide, Kolkata has reached 11 per cent this year, albeit off a low baseline. Now, re-energising and scaling e-bus procurement will be critical to achieving high-impact, zero-emission mass transit,” pointed out the expert.
A senior state transport official said the Bengal government has officially initiated steps to join the central government’s PM-eBus Sewa scheme. The North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) submitted the state’s very first proposal, requesting 100 e-buses for Siliguri. The WBTC and other regional transport branches, meanwhile, are currently preparing detailed project reports (DPRs) to request allocations from the remaining central pool.
The PM-eBus Sewa scheme is an Indian government initiative that deploys 10,000 electric air-conditioned buses across urban areas using a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. The total proposed outlay is Rs 57,613 crore, of which Rs 20,000 crore is to be provided as central financial support.
