Kejriwal Government Rolls Out 500 More E-Buses
Delhi is now no.1 in Electric Buses in India, Kejriwal Government Rolls Out 500 More E-Buses
Domination of overbearing and illiterate driver-conductors and increase of more than 500 e-buses – Ignoring the Senior Citizens.
*Delhi is now no.1 in Electric Buses in India, Kejriwal Government Rolls Out 500 More E-Buses
Disorganized DTC department – Domination of overbearing and illiterate driver-conductors and increase of more than 500 e-buses – Ignoring the Senior Citizens.
MPNN-NEW
NEW DELHI: – The national capital, Delhi has now become the number one city in the country in terms of electric buses. The Delhi government has introduced 500 more new electric buses on the streets on Thursday. CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal, along with LG V.K. Saxena flagged off these buses from the IP Depot. With the inclusion of these 500 buses in the fleet, the total number of electric buses in Delhi has now reached 1300, while a total of 7232 CNG buses are running on the roads. All these electric buses will be battery-operated and will not produce any kind of pollution. Moreover, these buses are entirely eco-friendly, and equipped with CCTV, panic buttons, and GPS. The arrival of these buses will make travel easier for Delhiites.
The operation of e-buses will significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. This will lead to a reduction in air pollution within Delhi, making the environment cleaner.
During this, CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal expressed his happiness over the inclusion of 500 new electric buses in the fleet of the Delhi Transport Corporation. He said, “Today, 500 more electric buses have been included in the fleet of the Transport Department. For this, I congratulate the people of Delhi. Now, Delhi has 1300 electric buses, making Delhi number one in terms of electric buses in the country. Our efforts to strengthen Delhi’s transportation system will continue.”
CM Arvind Kejriwal shared a clip from this occasion on his ‘X’ (erstwhile Twitter) quoting, “Today, with Hon’ble Lt. Governor, we initiated the introduction of 500 new electric buses in Delhi. Now, Delhi has 1300 electric buses, the most in the country. Our goal by 2025 is to have a total of 8000 electric buses. By then, there will be more than 10,000 buses in Delhi, out of which 80% will be electric. Our fantastic electric buses are becoming the new identity of Delhi.”
On Thursday morning, the inauguration ceremony of electric buses at the Indraprastha Depot commenced with the national anthem. LG Shri VK Saxena and CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal assessed the available facilities in the new electric buses, while Transport Minister Shri Kailash Gahlot briefed them about the state-of-the-art amenities present in the buses. Following this, the buses were flagged off, and senior officials, including Transport Commissioner Ashish Kundra, were present on this occasion.
Delhi’s Transport Minister Shri Kailash Gahlot held a press conference at the Delhi Secretariat, providing detailed information about the inclusion of 500 new electric buses in the fleet. Shri Kailash Gahlot while congratulating Delhiites informed that today 500 electric buses have been flagged off. Now this has become the city with the most number of Electric buses plying on its streets in the entire country. In the battle against pollution, Electric buses have been proving to be a crucial measure. During winter pollution levels in the National Capital increase notably.
Delhi Transport Minister mentioned, “As per the various reports and Manuals, a CNG bus emits 800 grams of Carbon dioxide (CO2) per kilometre. This means that an electric bus saves 800 grams of CO2 emission in its run of a kilometre. These buses of the Delhi Government, travel a minimum of 200 kilometres; and in a year these buses travel approximately 70,000 kilometres. This means that in a year, a bus emits 56 tonnes of Carbon dioxide.”
Speaking on the journey of Electric buses in Delhi, Minister Shri Kailash Gahlot stated that approximately 800 buses are plying on the streets of Delhi in 1.5 years. To give an idea of this, 34,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions have been saved. Pertaining to the pollution problem, it’s a significant relief, when these buses will complete their life cycle they will contribute immensely to the battle against pollution. Under the leadership of CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal, many concrete steps have been taken regarding the pollution issue.
Further, the Delhi Transport Minister briefed on the timelines for the induction of Electric buses into the fleet of DTC buses. He shared, “On 5th September of this year, we flagged off 400 electric buses and with today 500 new electric buses’ addition takes the count to 1300 electric buses into the DTC fleet which makes it the highest in the country compared to any city.
Stating on the basic features of these electric buses, Minister Shri Kailash Gahlot mentioned, “These buses are 100% electric, with zero smoke emission. This means no contribution to pollution. These buses are fully air conditioned and passengers have given excellent feedback concerning its AC during summers especially. These buses are comfortable and convenient to travel. Keeping the safety and security of the passengers in mind, these buses are equipped with a minimum of 3 CCTV cameras, there’s a rear camera to help the driver. Each bus has a GPS navigation system through which live tracking is being ensured which is linked to our command centre. Every bus has a panic on every 2 seats so that if any passenger feels uncomfortable can press it. This panic has two functions, one is relaying a CCTV camera at our command centre, so officers sitting at the command centre can see what’s happening within that bus. Additionally, its location and feed also reach the Delhi Police. After pressing the panic button, the bus driver has to stop the bus. Command centre officers inquire with the driver.”
The Delhi Transport Minister said that our government’s goal is to convert the entire fleet of buses into electric buses by 2025. By the end of 2025, the total number of buses in Delhi will be 10,480, with 80% being electric buses. We aim to surpass 8,000 electric buses by the end of 2025. Once the number of electric buses crosses 8,000, Delhi will be included among those select cities worldwide with the highest number of electric buses in operation. The work orders for 6,000 e-buses have already been issued. Approximately 50 to 100 Electric buses will be added to the fleet every month.
Minister Shri Kailash Gahlot revealed that electrification of all depots in Delhi is underway. There are more than 60 bus depots in Delhi, and extensive electrification work is being carried out in all of them. These include 500 electric buses in Rohini, 160 in Hasanpur, and 130 in Wazirpur, and buses will also be included in Subhash Place and BBM depots. The areas around these depots will benefit significantly.
*Kejriwal Government Presenting Impressive Transportation Model in Front of the Country and the World*
Under the leadership of CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal, after presenting an impressive model of education and healthcare to the world, Delhi is now establishing a milestone in the field of transportation. The government aims to provide even more comfortable transportation facilities to people using public transport in Delhi. The belief is that a good transportation system in the city is crucial to providing access to education, employment, and healthcare opportunities for its residents, contributing to the city’s rapid development. An estimate suggests that currently around 40 lakh people travel by buses in Delhi, and it is anticipated that this number will increase to 60 lakhs by 2025. With this in mind, the government is specifically promoting electric buses to offer people comfortable journeys while also reducing air pollution.
*34,000 Tons of Carbon Dioxide Reduced by Operating 800 E-Buses*
On Thursday, 500 electric buses were added to the transport department’s fleet. Prior to this addition, there were already 800 electric buses operating in Delhi. These buses were introduced on the roads in January 2022. As a result of these buses, more than 34,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions have been reduced, and these buses have covered distances of more than 42 lakh kilometres. Additionally, after including 500 electric buses, Delhi now has 1300 electric buses, a number higher than any other state and city in India in terms of electric buses.
*1300 Electric Buses in Delhi in just Two Years*
It is noteworthy that on January 17, 2022, the first electric bus was introduced into the transport department’s fleet in Delhi. Following this, in March 2022, two electric buses were included. On May 24, 2022, 150 buses, and on August 24, 2022, 97 buses were added. Moreover, in 2023, 50 buses on January 2, 100 on May 1, 400 on September 5, and 500 electric buses on December 14 have been included. Consequently, in two years, Delhi now has 1300 electric buses. After displaying the green flag for 500 e-buses, the DTC’s (Delhi Transport Corporation) fleet will comprise 4,391 and the DIMTS (Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System) fleet will have 4,391 buses. Subsequently, the total number of buses in Delhi now stands at 2,841. Additionally, by 2025, Delhi aims to have 10,480 buses, out of which 80% (8,280 buses) will be electric. Due to these buses, Delhi’s annual carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by 4.67 lakh tons.
*Facilities Available in Electric Buses*
– Low-floor AC for the convenience of differently-abled individuals
– Free tickets for women
– These buses are smoke and noise-free
– Digital ticketing facilities
– Buses equipped with GPS, CCTV, and panic buttons
*Electrification of All Depots*
To accommodate more than 8,000 electric buses out of the 10,480 buses in Delhi by 2025, more than 60 depots are being electrified. Currently, 13 depots are electrified and fully operational. These include Mundela Kalan, Rohini Sector 37, Rajghat-2, Mayapuri, Rohini Sector-1, Rohini Sector-2, Hasanpur, Wazirpur, BBM, Subhash Place, Nehru Place, Shastri Park, and Majlis Park, catering to 12-meter buses, and Shastri Park and Majlis Park for 9-meter buses. The Delhi government has formulated plans keeping 2025 in mind. Over 1500 crores are being spent on depot electrification.
