Delhi CM Kejriwal, LG Flag Off 500 New Electric Buses, Total Number Rises To 1,300

Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said no other city in India has these many electric buses plying on the roads.

Delhi Lt. Governor VK Saxena and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during the flag-off ceremony of 500 new electric buses, in New Delhi

Source : PTI

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena flagged off a new batch of 500 new electric buses on Thursday in the national capital. With this new addition, the total number of electric buses plying in Delhi has risen to 1,300. Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said no other city in India has these many electric buses on service. 

Kejriwal, after flagging off the buses, told news agency PTI, "I want to congratulate the people of Delhi on this occasion. I also want to thank the LG for taking time out of his busy schedule to grace this occasion. We now have 1300 electric buses in Delhi. We will continue to strengthen Delhi's transport system."

VIDEO | "I want to congratulate the people of Delhi on this occasion. I also want to thank the LG for taking out time from his busy schedule to grace this occasion. We now have 1300 electric buses in Delhi. We will continue to strengthen Delhi's transport system," says Delhi CM… pic.twitter.com/6Q7xoKSYdO

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 14, 2023

Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot, in a post on X, said, "Congrats Delhi!!! We're celebrating another huge milestone today! Success is never overnight, it is a guaranteed result of consistency! We are yet again leading the way with a record 1300 e-e-buses."

Around 800 such buses have been running on Delhi roads since January 2022 and they have covered a distance of more than 42 million kilometres while cutting more than 34,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide so far, an official told PTI.

VIDEO | "500 electric buses will be flagged off today. With this, the number of electric buses in Delhi will be 1300. Delhi will now have maximum number of electric buses in the country. No other city in the country has so many electric buses," says Delhi minister @kgahlot. pic.twitter.com/VhRXnJIkph

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 14, 2023

These new buses are disabled friendly, air-conditioned, emit zero smoke and are also equipped with GPS, CCTVs and panic buttons, as reported by PTI.

The transition from diesel-based buses to electric buses is expected to make a significant improvement to the air quality of the city due to a reduction in carbon emissions. According to PTI, by 2025, Delhi aims to have a total of 10,480 such buses. This will ensure that 80 per cent of the bus fleet in the city will be running on electricity.

If the target of 2025 is achieved then it will help in cutting down 4.67 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, as reported by PTI.