CHENNAI: The transport department said work orders have been issued for the procurement of 3,071 new buses, of which 1,796 have already been put into public service since 2022.
In the wake of complaints over delay in introducing new buses, the department, through an official note, clarified that Rs 420 crore was allocated for the purchase of 1,000 buses in 2022-23, Rs 446.60 crore for another 1,000 buses in 2023-24, and Rs 1,540 crore for acquiring 3,000 buses in 2024-25.
During 2022-23 and 2023-24, out of 2,000 buses planned to be put to use, a total of 1,721 have already been deployed, and the remaining are expected to be inducted by November.
For 2024-25, out of 3,000 buses planned, prices have been finalised and work orders issued for 503 buses, which will also become operational by November. Tenders have been invited to finalise the prices of the remaining 2,544 buses.
Additionally, work orders have been placed for 552 buses out of the 2,166 funded by Germany’s KfW Bank, with 59 currently in service. The remaining 493 are expected to be deployed by November.
Plans are also under way to procure another 500 electric buses funded by the World Bank on a gross cost contract, a statement said. The department also mentioned that about 1,064 out of 1,500 buses have been renovated and are now in operation.