India: Delhi adds 300 electric buses to its public transport fleet
According to a report by The New Indian Express, the new electric bus fleet consists of 195 nine-metre units and 105 12-metre units. Delhi government is using the nine-metre e-buses for its DEVi (Delhi Electric Vehicle Interconnector) service, which provides zero-emission last-mile connectivity between residential neighbourhoods with narrow streets or congestion issues and major public bus corridors and metro stations.
India’s Home Minister Amit Shah, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and several other government dignitaries flagged off eleven nine-metre electric buses as a symbolic representation of the wider rollout. These eleven units appear to be the Ecolife e9 manufactured by JBM Buses, just like the 70 e-buses deployed in India’s western state of Gujarat last week.
The Ecolife e9 is 8.86m long, 2.52m wide, and 3.29m tall, and has a 4.75m wheelbase. There’s no word on the model name or specifications of the 12m model. Delhi government said in a post on X that its new electric buses offer comfort, convenience, and safety features such as AC, passenger information system, real-time GPS tracking, panic button, and CCTV monitoring.
Delhi has India’s largest public transport electric bus fleet, with the latest induction expanding it to 4,845 units. Gupta said that the Delhi government aims to further grow its e-bus fleet to 7,000 units by the end of 2026 and then double it to 14,000 units by 2028.
As for the four new electric bus depots, two of them are located in Narela and together offer space for 250 nine-metre units. The other two are located in Rithala and Kohat Enclave, with capacity for 30 and 90 electric buses, respectively.
At the beginning of this month, the Delhi government launched Delhi EV Policy 2026 to boost EV adoption in the city. The new policy, valid until 31 March 2030, offers road tax and registration fee exemptions and incentives on EVs, as well as an incentive for scrapping old vehicles.
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