UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) is set to introduce 120 electric buses for its NCR cities. The move aligns with an order of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to slowly phase out diesel buses from these districts where pollution is a cause for concern every winter.
The corporation has pumped in INR 200 crore to procure these electric buses.
KP Singh, special secretary to the govt, wrote to the transport department recently, saying while diesel buses will ply in other districts, only electric buses will serve the NCR cities, including Noida and Ghaziabad.
"Plying of electric buses in NCR cities is important due to air pollution in winter. As per CAQM's direction, all buses originating from NCR districts in the respective states and plying to Delhi would be either electric vehicles or CNG or BS-VI diesel, and by June 30, 2026, all buses originating or terminating in NCR to operate only on CNG/electric vehicle mode," the letter read.
Around 300 Roadways buses operate out of depots in Noida and Greater Noida every day, connecting the NCR city with Meerut, Agra, Bulandshahr, Mathura, Aligarh, Lucknow, Hathras, Hapur, Bareilly, Badaun, Shamli, Dadri, Jewar and so on.
Some of these buses also enter depots in Delhi's Sarai Kale Khan, Kashmiri Gate and Anand Vihar.
Neighbouring Ghaziabad has around 700 UPSRTC buses running from its depots in Kaushambi, Loni, and Sahibabad to different districts of UP. All these govt buses currently run on CNG.
A UPSRTC official in Noida agreed there was a proposal to introduce electric buses for the city, but said a detailed guideline from the govt was awaited. "We have not received any specific instruction in this regard. We will facilitate the process once we receive guidelines," he added.
CAQM, meanwhile, has claimed that the transport sector significantly contributes to air pollution in Delhi-NCR during winter. According to a recent directive by it, state govts must ensure that a significant number of buses run only on electricity by June 30, 2028.
On Aug 20, CAQM asked urban local bodies in Delhi to review parking charges for private vehicles by Sept 30 and issue a notification related to it on Nov 1. The new charges are likely to take effect in Delhi this winter.
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