Delhi to flag off 150 e-buses on Tuesday; free 3 days rides for commuters

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will flag off 150 electric buses on Tuesday, an official statement said, adding that commuters will get to travel free of cost in them for three days.

Delhi is going to equal the national record of inducting the most number of buses simultaneously with the addition of 150 electric buses to its fleet, it added.

Kejriwal had flagged off two flagship electric buses in January.

The people of Delhi will be able to travel free of cost for three days -- from May 24 to May 26 -- in the electric buses plying on the roads of Delhi.

These buses emit zero smoke, have CCTV cameras, GPS, 10 panic buttons, ramps for differently abled, etc.

Three depots at Mundela Kalan, Rajghat and Rohini Sector-37 have been completely electrified and are ready to house these 150 new buses. The 150 remaining buses are also expected to be inducted in the coming month, it said.

After being flagged off, these buses will run on major routes of Delhi, including Route No. 502 between Mori Gate and Mehrauli Terminal and the IP Depot -Connaught Place - Safdarjung - South Extension -Ashram - Jangpura -India Gate route.

The government also urged people to ride its e-buses, take a selfie, post it with the hashtag #IrideEbus on their Instagram, Twitter and Facebook handles. The top three entries will have a chance to win an iPad.

The transport department in an official communication on Monday said, "All the officers and the operational crew of DTC may be informed accordingly and not to insist commuters for purchase of tickets, during the aforesaid period of 03 days in all pure electric buses of DTC."

A DTC official said the free travel is being offered to encourage people to promote e-buses.

"It's being done to motivate people and to spread awareness about the e-buses. With the addition of 150 buses, e-buses fleet will go up to 152," the official added.

Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot was quoted in the statement saying, "This is a huge day for us. Delhi government has always been pushing its people to shift to greener modes of transport, and make the switch to EVs. Shifting to public transport, especially sustainable modes of public transport, is a lifestyle change that we wish to see in Delhiites."

"We really want people to travel in these buses, experience the comfort and spread the word. I've personally driven and travelled in these buses, now you can also ride in these buses which are synonyms of zero pollution, zero noise, maximum comfort," he added.