First batch of e-buses set to roll out in June
Chennai: After a prolonged wait, Chennai is set to get its first batch of
electric buses
, with 120 scheduled to be operated in the first week of June. These low-floor buses, to be operated from the revamped Vyasarpadi depot, mark the city's shift towards greener public transport.The electric fleet will be run by
OHM Global Mobility
, a subsidiary of Ashok Leyland, under a gross cost contract (GCC) model.
The initial rollout will serve routes in and around Vyasarpadi, including 46G (MKB Nagar-Koyambedu), 2A (Anna Square-Kannadasan Nagar), and 37G (Kannadasan Nagar-Iyyappanthangal). The Vyasarpadi fleet will consist of 40 non-air-conditioned buses.The second batch, comprising 135 buses from Perumbakkam depot, will include 55 air-conditioned buses, with the rest being non-A/C.
The depots at Poonamallee (45 A/C, 80 non-A/C), Central (100 A/C, 45 non-A/C), and Tondiarpet (23 A/C, 75 non-A/C) have also undergone infrastructure upgrades to support electric bus operations. "Each depot now has space allocated for charging stations and maintenance yards," said T Prabhushankar, MTC managing director.While each bus costs between 1.2 crore and 1.5 crore, MTC did not purchase them outright. Instead, under the GCC model, it signed an agreement with OHM Mobility to supply and operate the buses on routes assigned by MTC. The transport corporation will retain fare collection revenue and pay OHM a fixed rate per kilometre. All technical operations, including driving, maintenance, and repairs, will be handled by OHM's crew.For commuters in the city's suburbs, particularly along the northern and western stretches, this rollout is expected to replace old, worn-out buses. Shankaran A, a resident-activist from Maangadu, said, "Most of the new blue buses are deployed inside the city where ticket collection is high, while older buses are shifted to the outskirts."
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