Gurgaon: Seven years after GMCBL was created to reducereliance on private vehicles, the city’s skeletal fleet may finally get a boost this year with 100 new electric buses.
GMDA officials told TOI on Monday that Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL), a public-sector undertaking (PSU) under the Union power ministry, last week finalised the concessionaire that will be responsible for procuring, operating and maintaining the new buses.
“Now, Gurugram Metropolitan City Bus Limited (GMCBL) has written to the transport department to expedite the agreement for 450 e-buses, which have been allocated for the state. Of these, 100 each will be allocated to Gurgaon and Faridabad, while the remaining 250 will serve other cities of Haryana,” the senior GMDA official said.
CESL, which has also finalised the gross cost of the contract, requires approval from Haryana’s high-powered purchase committee.
If all goes as planned, the first batch of e-buses will arrive by June. “Once approved, GMCBL will sign an agreement with the concessionaire,” the official added.
Currently, GMCBL has a fleet of 200 buses, but 50 of them were given to Faridabad on the state govt’s directions. Effectively, Gurgaon has a modest fleet of 150 buses.
Another four air-conditioned buses – the only ones in the city that are equipped with AC — were added in 2022, but most of these remain out of service as they are prone to breakdowns.
Because of the lack of robust public transportation networks, residents of several areas in the city don’t have any option but to rely on their own vehicles or cabs for daily commute.
GMDA’s comprehensive mobility management plan for 2026 had projected that the city would need a fleet of 1,550 buses to meet the demands of its population by then.
Officials said the new electric buses will ease some of the burden on the existing transport network but acknowledge that a much larger expansion is needed.
“A dedicated substation has been installed at the Sector 10 bus depot to facilitate charging infrastructure and maintenance. Once the agreement is finalised, the concessionaire will develop the necessary charging bays for electric buses. We are fully prepared to integrate these e-buses into the city’s transport system,” a second GMDA official said.
The new electric buses will be 9 metres long and air-conditioned. The decision to opt for 9m buses, instead of the standard 12m ones, was made considering the city’s road conditions, particularly in older parts where manoeuvrability is a challenge.
On Monday, commuters said they hoped the new addition will help ease the city’s transport woes.
“The lack of adequate buses has made daily commuting a nightmare. We need more buses, not just in the central part of the city, but also in the new sectors along Dwarka Expressway, where transport options are almost non-existent,” said Khyati Sharma, a resident of Sector 65.
This isn’t the first attempt to add to the city’s bus fleet.
In Sept 2019, GMCBL floated a request for expression of interest (RFEOI) for 100 e-buses but Haryana govt later scrapped the plan and decided to procure buses at the state level. (Remove not)
Subsequently, Haryana govt in 2023 opted for the PM e-Sewa scheme by the central govt. It is under this scheme that CESL is facilitating the addition of electric buses for the state.
Separately, GMDA last year requested 100 additional e-buses without Centre’s assistance and the state subsequently approved this plan. The city should have received its first batch of buses under this plan by Oct last year, but there were delays in the tender process.
Haryana govt, in 2024, also approved the procurement of 200 more buses for Gurgaon.