Mumbai aims to have more than 50% electric buses in fleet by 2025-26

The civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking wants its fleet to have more than 50 per cent electric buses by 2025-26 and then raise the number to 8,000 in the subsequent years.

In a release issued during the day, the metropolis' premier road transport undertaking said it has set an ambitious goal to have 100 per cent zero-emission electric bus fleet by 2026-27. An order has been placed for 2,650 single-decker electric buses, it added. On Thursday, BEST general manager Anil Diggikar presented the undertaking's Rs 9439.56 crore budget to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation commissioner and administrator Bhushan Gagrani for 2025-26. "In the Rs 1 lakh surplus budget, BEST's estimated deficit is of Rs 2086.33 crore, as its electric supply wing is estimated to get a profit of Rs 46.18 crore, but the transport wing is estimated to face a deficit of Rs 2131.51 crore. Capital expenditure for 2025-26 is expected to be Rs 1849.24 crore, while showing an expected Rs 2812.03 crore grant from its parent BMC during the financial year," the release said. BEST needs Rs 679.51 crore for filling the gap in its capital expenditure, the release pointed out. "Currently, BEST has a fleet of 3,166 buses, including 2,081 hired vehicles and zero-emission e-buses.  There are plans to buy 273 big-sized and 237 mid-sized air-conditioned single-decker e-buses as well as scrapping 520 self-owned buses that will complete their codal-life soon," the release said. In line with its commitment to provide uninterrupted public transport services, BEST has already issued an order for procurement of 2,100 single-decker electric buses, of which 205 have been received, it said. This shift is expected to reduce carbon emissions and improve the city's air quality, the release stated. In the release, BEST also reiterated the plan to procure 1,200 double-decker electric buses, of which 50 are already part of the fleet. The release, however, did not disclose by when these double-decker buses will be inducted in the fleet. Sources said the public transport body has already cancelled the work order issued to a bus manufacturer for supplying 700 double decker buses, while the company whose double decker buses are plying on wet lease model has not supplied a single vehicle since the last several months. BEST has scrapped all fossil fuel-run double-decker buses in its fleet long back as their codal life was over. BEST operates services in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Mira-Bhayandar with a fleet of more than 3,000 buses and has a daily ridership of 32 lakh.