The Delhi government is rapidly scaling up its electric bus revolution and is ready to transform its transport sector into a model the world can reckon with, said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday.
Mr. Kejriwal was speaking at an event to flag off 97 electric buses, from the Rajghat bus depot, which will add to the fleet of 153 e-buses that are already plying on the city roads. He added that 50 more e-buses will to be added by September and by November 2023, 1,500 more vehicles will be acquired, taking the number of e-buses to 1,800.
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“Delhi will soon boast of the highest number of electric buses in any Indian city. We are phasing out old, polluting buses and replacing them with electric ones. By the end of 2025, the number of buses in Delhi will increase to 10,380 of which about 80% (8,180) will be electric buses,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
Charging stations
He added that charging stations have been established in three depots and by 2023, 55 depots will be electrified and by 2025, over 18,000 charging points will be ready in the Capital.
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“We strive to develop a unique model of transport in Delhi – just as we’ve done in education and healthcare. Many countries have very modern transport systems. We are taking a leaf out of all the best practices followed in the world and developing our own. I am confident that like the world looks at us for education and healthcare models, we’ll be a world leader with the transport model too,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
‘Given by Centre’
Reacting to the launch of new buses, the Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said that the Delhi government was taking credit for providing 97 electric buses to the DTC but in reality, the buses were provided by the Central government.
“Electric buses inducted today will prove to be a lifeline for the city. This shows the concern of the Central government towards Delhi. These electric buses will help in fighting pollution and Delhi’s public transport system will also become more accessible. Mr. Kejriwal should thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for gifting these buses to Delhi instead of taking credit. ” Mr. Bidhuri said.
