The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) issued a gazette notification in 2023 to restrict the entry of all passenger buses into Delhi, except for those operating on CNG, electricity or BS-VI diesel fuel, when the Graded Response Action Plan IV is invoked.
The measure is part of a broader strategy to tackle the alarming levels of air pollution in Delhi. The transport sector is a significant contributor, accounting for around 50 per cent of the overall air pollution load in the city, according to an analysis by the Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment, based on Decision Support System for Air Quality Management in Delhi of the Indian Institute of Tropical Metrology.
Delhi’s three inter-state bus terminals — Kashmiri Gate, Anand Vihar and Sarai Kale Khan — serve an average of 5,000 buses and 230,000 commuters per day. These services are provided by around 10 state transport undertakings (STU) from neighbouring states, such as Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Chandigarh as well as the Patiala and East Punjab States Union Road Transport Corporation. In addition to these STUs, several private bus operators also run inter-city services to and from Delhi.
The Commission for Air Quality Management has held meetings with STUs to discuss their plans for transitioning to cleaner fuel buses. These discussions have focused on the phased replacement of older BS-III and BS-IV diesel buses, with newer BS-VI diesel, CNG and electric buses.
The STUs shared their action plans, which include the relocation or replacement of these older diesel buses and the procurement of new BS-VI diesel buses, CNG buses and electric vehicles (EV) in line with their respective EV policies.
Given the willingness of STUs to transition their bus fleets to cleaner fuel variants for inter-city services to and from Delhi, GNCTD may take proactive steps to support this shift. As it had taken in recent months, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) have signed an agreement in which DTC provides its depot space for HRTC to park its buses, on a payment basis.
This arrangement has proven mutually beneficial: DTC generates additional revenue, while HRTC saves around 18 kilometres of dead mileage per bus daily, resulting in cost savings of Rs 50,000 per day solely from reduced dead mileage.
This time GNCTD may come up with facilitating the charging facilities for electric buses of other states STUs at its e-bus depots, if STUs are set to operate electric buses to and from Delhi. The initiative could be supported by the findings from an analysis of bus charging patterns at one of the e-bus depots of the DTC / GNCTD-Rajghat Depot.
Data showed that chargers are under-utilised during certain periods of the day, presenting an opportunity to maximise the use of existing infrastructure.
The analysis from July 2024 showed that chargers were in use for an average of 7 hours and 15 minutes daily, leaving the chargers idle for the remaining two-third of the day. The peak charging hours were from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm and 9:00 pm to 12:00 am, with other times seeing limited use. These off-peak hours could be leveraged to allow electric buses from other states to charge, optimiwing the existing charging capacity.
GNCTD may collaborate with STUs willing to operate electric buses to and from Delhi by utilising idle charging facilities at existing depots. Since many inter-state buses arrive early morning and the chargers at depots are free during certain hours, allowing other states’ electric buses to charge at these depots would provide a mutually beneficial solution. This initiative can promote the transition to electric buses while addressing the infrastructure equity issue for STUs operating inter-city services.
The integrated approach can enhance cooperation between Delhi and neighbouring states, fostering joint efforts to address air pollution. The benefits of such an initiative are plenty. First, by providing charging facilities within Delhi, STUs can transition their fleets to electric buses without the need to invest heavily in charging infrastructure, which is often a significant capital expense.
Then, the under-utilised chargers can generate additional revenue for e-bus operators, DTC and GNCTD. The availability of charging infrastructure in Delhi may encourage private inter-city bus operators to invest in electric buses, further expanding the shift to cleaner transportation.
The resultant shift to electric buses will contribute significantly to reducing air pollution caused by traditional diesel buses.
But many challenges dot this landscape. A clear, integrated framework, for instance, will be required to bring together the various stakeholders — GNCTD, DTC, STUs and electric bus operators — to manage the shared use of charging infrastructure.
Then, charging facilities were initially installed by e-bus operators at their own cost. Thus, obtaining their consent to share these resources with external operators may require negotiation.
Moreover, responsibilities of each stakeholder, including DTC, GNCTD and the STUs, need to be clearly defined to ensure smooth operations.
A fair and transparent payment mechanism, for example, will need to be established to determine how revenue from charging fees is distributed among stakeholders.
Finally, the entry and exit of buses from different operators — DTC and STUs — should be coordinated to avoid congestion and ensure that buses can charge without disrupting daily operations.
This collaborative initiative presents a unique opportunity to promote electric bus operations to and from Delhi, benefiting both DTC / GNCTD and other state STUs. By addressing the infrastructure challenges faced by STUs and facilitating the transition to electric buses, GNCTD can reduce the reliance on older diesel bus variants in inter-city transportation and support STUs in adopting electric buses.