5 days ago
T.N. CM Stalin flags off 120 new low-floor electric buses in Chennai
Chennai got its first fleet of low-floor electric buses with Chief Minister M.K. Stalin flagging off 120 vehicles from the Metropolitan Transport Corporation's (MTC) Vyasarpadi depot on Monday (June 30, 2025). Each bus, when fully charged one-time, can travel up to 200 kilometres, and features 39 seats with seat belts, CCTV cameras, and LED displays to provide information on bus stops.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated the MTC's upgraded electric bus depot at Vyasarpadi at a cost of ₹47.50 crore. The 120 new e-buses are worth ₹207.90 crore.
The initiative was taken up under the Chennai City Partnership Programme, Chennai Sustainable Urban Services Programme, with support from the World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Additional Chief Secretary (Transport) K. Phanindra Reddy said in a bid to reduce environmental pollution in Chennai, the MTC, in the first phase, will roll out 625 new low-floor electric buses at a total cost of ₹697 crore. On average, each bus that runs on diesel emits 755 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) for a kilometre. Electric buses would help in reducing CO2 emissions and improve the quality of air to a large extent, he said at an event held at the Vyasarpadi depot.
Measures were being taken to operate these new electric buses from depots at Vyasarpadi, Perumbakkam, Poonamallee, Central, and Tondiarpet 1, he said. Work to establish infrastructure, including for charging, has been taken up at the depots. In the first phase, the required infrastructure to maintain and operate 120 buses from the Vyasarpadi depot was taken up.
Special features
He said one of the special features of these buses is that when charged one-time, it can travel for 200 kilometres.
The buses are wheelchair accessible, with a ramp and secure anchorage points. Each bus is equipped with CCTV cameras, mobile phone charging points, and emergency alarms.
The 120 buses, which were flagged off, will be operated on 11 routes. This includes 20 buses from Broadway to Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus (KCBT)-Kilambakkam terminus (route number 18A), 20 buses from Mahakavi Bharathiyar Nagar to KCBT-Kilambakkam bus terminus (170TX), 10 buses from Vallalar Nagar to Poonamallee (37), 10 buses from Mahakavi Bharathiyar Nagar to Koyambedu (46G) and 10 from Perambur to Manali (164E). Other routes included round trip to Kaviarasu Kannadhasan Nagar and from Thiru vi ka Nagar to Guindy Thiru vi ka Industrial Estate.
Transport Minister S.S. Sivasankar, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P.K. Sekarbabu, and officials participated.
