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The mega tender under the PM e-Drive scheme received a strong response from the industry, with 16 bidders participating in the process, indicating strong interest from electric bus manufacturers and operators, the company said in a statement.
According to the statement, CESL, a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) and the designated agency of the Government of India for aggregation and procurement of electric buses, has successfully completed the tender process for 10,900 electric buses, one of the largest such procurement.
It said the competitive partnership highlights the growing maturity of India’s electric mobility ecosystem.
Financial bids of 14 technically qualified bidders were opened.
The rates discovered are attractive and lower than expected. This will be shared with the participating cities.
Thereafter the respective Urban Transport Undertakings (CTUs) will issue Letters of Award (LOA) and enter into direct concession agreements with the selected operators.
CESL’s aggregation-based gross cost contract (GCC) model covers multiple cities and union territories, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Surat.
Indicatively, Bengaluru is planned to get around 4,500 buses, Delhi will get around 2,800 buses, Hyderabad will get around 2,000 buses, while Ahmedabad and Surat together will get around 1,600 buses under the programme.
Under the GCC framework, private operators will be responsible for the ownership, operation and maintenance of e-buses as well as the development of charging infrastructure and energy management systems at depots provided by the city authorities.
The city’s transport agencies will pay a fixed fee per kilometer, ensuring affordability and financial sustainability.
The deployment of 10,900 electric buses is expected to significantly contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions and air pollution while enhancing the quality and reliability of public transport in major urban centres.
With this milestone, CESL continues to strengthen its role as a key enabler of India’s clean mobility transformation through transparent procurement processes, competitive aggregation and large-scale implementation of electric public transportation solutions.