The Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today flagged off the city’s first-ever electric bus from the IP Depot.
While inaugurating, the CM said, “The first electric bus of Delhi will start plying from today. By April we’ll see 300 electric buses run on the roads of Delhi. Our end goal is to procure a total of 2,000 electric buses in the coming years.”
He stated, “Public should also contribute to this war against pollution by switching their vehicles to electric. This marks the beginning of a new era in the transport sector of Delhi. In my understanding, now we’ll see a revolution whereas and when older buses are rolled out of service, new electric buses will be onboarded. This is a very important step in combating the problem of pollution. This is a zero-emission bus and there’s barely any noise made by it.”
He added, “The first bus is being sent on the roads today. This is the first time since 2011 that a new bus has been procured for DTC’s fleet. People used to say that it was jinxed but we have overcome that today. We have welcomed this bus to the DTC with full joy and conducted a havan as well.”
“I hope that more buses will start coming in soon from now on. The bus can get charged within one to one and a half hours on a fast charger. It can run for a minimum of twenty kilometers in one charge. All our depots are being made electric charging friendly,” stated the CM,
The CM further tweeted, “Congratulations to all Delhiites. The first electric bus has started running on the roads of Delhi from today. 300 electric buses will soon be added to DTC’s fleet. You should also contribute to this war against pollution by switching your vehicle to electric.”
At the same time, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot took to Twitter to say, “Congratulations Delhi! It is a moment of immense joy for all of us. Today the first electric bus of DTC was dedicated to the public by Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal. Along with promoting environment-friendly transport, we are committed to providing world-class smooth transport service to the people of Delhi.”