Electric buses in India will be operating on public-private partnership model and have a special protection policy for the differently-abled
The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog has suggested Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) for operation and maintenance of electric buses in India. Through its draft concession agreement, it aims to add electric buses at cheaper rates from private investors. IIt has also mentioned that the operation and maintenance expenses will be incurred by the investors, which will later be compensated by the state government on a per kilometre basis.
The draft says that the ownership of the buses will be with the investors or operators. They will be responsible for registration and proper functioning of the electric buses. The policy think-tank of the government will hold a stakeholders’ meeting on October 12, wherein the draft will be discussed at length. The goal is to provide a cleaner, more efficient and affordable public transport mode while maintaining private sector’s engagement in its smooth operation.
EV with protection policy
The draft has also come up with a protection policy for the differently abled individuals. The electric buses will have to adhere to the new policy for the individuals to travel without any difficulty. Formats like large print, Braille and audio will be provided by its customer service centre.
The government has been pushing for electric vehicles in India. While the electric cars are expected to be on the higher range, electric buses will be catering to the public at an affordable rate. There are about 1.5 lakh electric vehicles in the country, which stands at less than a per cent of the overall vehicles.
The central government recently approved a subsidy of 55 billion for the Phase II of faster adoption and manufacturing electric vehicles (FAME) to support the new mode of transport. The aim is to bring down pollution levels by offering incentives, concessions and the like on purchasing vehicles that can contribute to the reduction.
