Presently, around 370 million commuters use approximately 1.7 million buses daily. Even a small fragment of 10 to 20 per cent electrification can transform millions of trips into zero-emission trips
Electric buses are central to India’s low-carbon pathway strategy. Unlike European countries — which are largely focused on car-centric electrification — India is more interested in transforming public transport services including buses, and intermediate para transit like autos, cabs, etc. into electric. Millions of Indians use these services daily.
Presently, around 370 million commuters use approximately 1.7 million buses daily. Even a small fragment of 10 to 20 per cent electrification can transform millions of trips into zero-emission trips.
Since the introduction of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles scheme (popularly known as the FAME scheme), the rapid expansion of electric bus services has happened across geography.
Presently, India has around 5,000 electric buses. This number is going to become five-fold in the next two to three years. Apart from the rapid expansion of services, the recent announcement of the PM e-bus seva scheme has set up more ambitious targets of spreading electric bus services in the medium and smaller cities of India. More than a hundred such cities have been identified for the introduction of electric bus services.
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