Cabinet approves PM-eBus service scheme

Tags: Government Schemes

The cabinet under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the "PM-eBus Seva" initiative.

An Overview of the News

• The PM-eBus Sewa scheme aims to augment city bus services by deploying 10,000 e-buses through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

• The estimated cost of the scheme is Rs 57,613 crore, with support of Rs 20,000 crore from the central government.

• The scheme will facilitate bus operations for 10 years.

Targeting deprived areas:

• The scheme covers cities with more than three lakh inhabitants based on the 2011 census.

• Preference will be given to underserved cities that lack organized bus services.

• Inclusion: Union Territory Capitals, North Eastern Region, and Hill States.

Employment Generation:

• Anticipated Direct Employment Generation: 45,000 to 55,000.

• It is resulting in the deployment of around 10,000 e-buses for city bus operations.

Plan Division:

Section A - City Bus Detail (169 Cities):

• This component focuses on scaling up city bus operations by introducing 10,000 e-buses through the PPP model.

• It also includes upgrading depot infrastructure and building power infrastructure (eg, substations) for e-buses.

Section B - Green Urban Mobility Initiative (181 Cities):

• This section emphasizes green initiatives such as bus priority systems, multimodal interchange facilities, automatic fare collection systems based on National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), and charging infrastructure.

Operational Support:

• States and cities are responsible for managing bus services and operator payments.

• Central Government Support: Subsidy as per the scheme provisions.

E-Mobility Promotion:

• The scheme is set to take forward e-mobility by offering comprehensive support to electricity infrastructure behind the meter.

• In addition, cities will receive assistance for the development of charging infrastructure as part of the Green Urban Mobility initiative.

• This holistic support will accelerate the proliferation of energy-efficient electric buses and encourage innovation within the e-mobility sector, ultimately fostering a more robust supply chain for electric vehicles.

Environmental Benefits:

• Transition to electric mobility: reduction of noise, air pollution, and carbon emissions.

• The anticipated shift to bus-based public transport will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.