Centre approves PM-eBus Sewa, 10,000 e-Buses across 169 cities

New-Delhi: The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved the ‘PM eBus Sewa’ to augment city bus operations under which 10,000 e-buses will be deployed across cities in the country.

Union Minsiter Anurag Thakur says “PM E-Bus Seva has been given approval. Rs 57,613 crores will be spent on this. Around 10,000 new electric buses will be provided across the country”.

These buses will be deployed on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model and it will continue till 2037. The infrastructure will be upgraded in 181 cities under the Green Urban Mobility Initiatives. The total estimated cost of the scheme has been estimated at Rs 57,613 crore, out of which support of Rs 20,000 crore will be provided by the central government, Thakur added. The scheme will cover cities with 3 lakhs and above population. This scheme will support bus operations for 10 years.
As many cities lack proper public transport, the scheme will help improve connectivity as well as promote green mobility, the minister informed further.

Therefore, priority will be given to cities having no organised bus service, and the scheme is expected to generate 45,000 to 55,000 direct jobs, the minister said.

All capital cities of north-east region, union territories and hill states will be included.

States and cities will be responsible for running the bus services and for payment of operators. The Centre will provide subsidy under it, official sources said.

National green mobility cards will be provided to commuters under the scheme, Thakur informed further.

The union cabinet cleared the scheme two years after it was announced in the Union Budget for 2021-22 by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, 2021.

Recently, even a Parliamentary panel had pulled up the Centre for failing to kickstart the scheme.