Cabinet approves “PM-eBus Sewa” for augmenting city bus operations; priority to cities having no organized bus service

Source: The post is based on the article “Cabinet approves “PM-eBus Sewa” for augmenting city bus operations; priority to cities having no organized bus service”  published in PIB on 16th August 2023

What is the News?

The Union Cabinet has approved PM-eBus Sewa to improve urban mobility and decarbonise public transport in cities. 

What is an e-Bus?

An e-bus is any bus whose propulsion and accessory systems are powered exclusively by a zero-emissions electricity source.

What is the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme?

Aim: To enhance green mobility in the cities.

Coverage: The scheme will cover cities of Three lakh and above population as per census 2011 including all the Capital cities of Union Territories, North Eastern Region and Hill States. 

– Under this scheme priority will be given to cities having no organized bus service.

Segments: The scheme has two segments:

Segment 1: In 169 cities, 10,000 e-buses will be deployed using a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

– Infrastructure will also be developed or upgraded to support the new e-buses, including the creation of behind-the-meter power infrastructure like substations.

Segment 2: In 181 other cities, infrastructure will be upgraded under the green urban mobility initiatives

– Initiatives will focus on bus priority, infrastructure, multimodal interchange facilities, automated fare collection systems and charging infrastructure.

Support for operation: States or cities will be responsible for running the bus services and making payments to the bus operators. 

– The Central government will support these bus operations by providing subsidies to the extent specified in the scheme.

Benefits of the Scheme: Around 45,000 to 55,000 direct jobs are expected to be generated via the scheme.

– The adoption of electric mobility services will help reduce noise and air pollution in Indian cities and also curb carbon emissions. 

– The scheme is also expected to bring in economies of scale for the procurement of electric buses through aggregation.