Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Surat to get electric buses under PM E-DRIVE
The Ministry of Heavy Industries said on 22 May 2025 that about 4,500 e-buses will go to Bengaluru, 2,800 to Delhi, 2,000 to Hyderabad, 1,000 to Ahmedabad and 600 to Surat in the current phase of the PM E-DRIVE scheme.
Summary
Union Heavy Industries Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy chaired a meeting on the rollout of electric buses under the PM E-DRIVE scheme with Telangana, Karnataka, Delhi and Gujarat on 22 May 2025. The Ministry assured about 4,500 e-buses for Bengaluru, 2,800 for Delhi, 2,000 for Hyderabad, 1,000 for Ahmedabad and 600 for Surat in the current phase. As approved by the Cabinet in September 2024, PM E-DRIVE has an outlay of ₹10,900 crore over two years, of which ₹4,391 crore is for procurement of 14,028 e-buses by State transport undertakings and public transport agencies, with demand aggregation by CESL in nine cities with more than 40 lakh population.
Key facts
- Meeting
- 22 May 2025, chaired by H.D. Kumaraswamy
- Allocation (current phase)
- Bengaluru ~4,500; Delhi ~2,800; Hyderabad ~2,000; Ahmedabad ~1,000; Surat ~600
- Scheme outlay
- ₹10,900 crore over two years (Cabinet, Sept 2024)
- E-bus component
- ₹4,391 crore for 14,028 e-buses
- Demand aggregation
- CESL, in nine cities with population above 40 lakh
Practice MCQs 3 questions
Which city is to receive the largest number of electric buses (about 4,500) in the current phase of PM E-DRIVE, as announced in May 2025?
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Correct answer: C — Bengaluru
About 4,500 e-buses are to go to Bengaluru, 2,800 to Delhi, 2,000 to Hyderabad, 1,000 to Ahmedabad and 600 to Surat.
As approved by the Union Cabinet, how much of the PM E-DRIVE outlay is earmarked for the procurement of e-buses, and how many e-buses does it support?
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Correct answer: B — ₹4,391 crore for 14,028 e-buses
The Cabinet release provides ₹4,391 crore for 14,028 e-buses; ₹10,900 crore is the total scheme outlay over two years.
Under PM E-DRIVE, which agency handles demand aggregation of e-buses in the nine cities with population above 40 lakh?
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Correct answer: D — Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL)
As per the Cabinet release, demand aggregation is done by CESL in nine cities with more than 40 lakh population.