NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday flagged off 150 electric buses from the IP depot. As part of the inauguration, the scheme for free rides to city residents in all e-buses will continue till May 26.
The CM stated that 150 more electric buses will be added by next month and the national capital will boast of 2,000 new e-buses and 600-700 CNG buses by next year. With the addition of these buses, the total number of buses in Delhi has gone up to 7,205. These buses include 3,912 DTC buses and 3,293 buses are of cluster.
The CM said, "I believe today is a milestone in Delhi’s ongoing battle with pollution. This launch has marked the beginning of a new era in the transport sector, ushering in the age of more and more electric buses to hit Delhi’s roads and curb pollution on a large scale."
"The city government is planning to spend Rs 1,862 crore on this project over the next 10 years, while receiving 150 crore from the Central government for which we are grateful. In addition, three new EV charging depots have been inaugurated today, which cost around Rs 150 crore. New EV charging depots are being built as well to match the number of new electric buses we aim to introduce," he said.
CM kicks off campaign
The city government has started the #IrideEbus campaign to promote maximum adoption of electric buses by the people of Delhi. Under the campaign, a public challenge is also being organised which shall go on till June 30.
Along with the free rides, Delhi Government has urged its citizens to ride its e-buses, take a selfie, post it with the hashtag #IrideEbus on their Instagram, Twitter and Facebook handles. The top 3 entries will get iPads in prizes.