Delhi’s green transport system gets fresh momentum with 200 new EV buses, DTC’s electric bus fleet crosses 5,000

New Delhi, 19 August 2026 : Delhi Lieutenant Governor Sardar Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday flagged off 200 new zero-emission electric buses for Delhi commuters from the Delhi University Sports Complex. The Delhi-Karnal interstate e-bus service was also launched on the occasion. The service is an important step towards connecting Delhi with major cities in Haryana through clean and convenient public transport.

Prioritising safe, convenient and dignified travel for women and female students, the Ladies Special bus service was also launched. A public EV charging station at DTC’s Rajghat Depot-1 was inaugurated as well, marking an important step towards providing the charging infrastructure needed to support Delhi’s growing electric vehicle network. Delhi Transport Minister Dr Pankaj Kumar Singh, MLA  Surya Prakash Khatri and others were present on the occasion.

Electric bus fleet crosses 5,000 with 200 new EVs

The new fleet of 200 electric buses comprises 88 12-metre EV buses and 112 DEVI 9-metre EV buses. With their induction, Delhi’s electric bus fleet has crossed 5,000. The new EV buses are low-floor and air-conditioned. Delhi has further strengthened its position as the city with the country’s largest electric bus fleet. Under the government’s comprehensive plan, all DTC buses will be converted to electric vehicles and Delhi’s bus fleet will be expanded to around 14,000 buses by 2028-29.

New e-bus connectivity between Delhi and Karnal

The launch of the Delhi-Karnal interstate e-bus service is an important step towards connecting Delhi with major cities in Haryana through clean and convenient public transport. Five electric, air-conditioned buses will operate on the route, with a total of 10 trips scheduled daily in each direction. The fare from Kashmere Gate to Karnal has been fixed at around Rs 212. The route will cover major locations including Singhu Border, Rai, Bahalgarh, Murthal, Gannaur, Samalkha, Panipat, Gharaunda and Madhuban.

Dedicated e-bus services for women

As part of the launch of the Ladies Special bus service, 56 dedicated women-only e-bus services are being introduced in the capital. These include 30 Ladies Special trips on 15 high-demand routes and 26 University Ladies Special (U-Spl) trips on 13 routes. The services will operate during the morning and evening peak hours, keeping in mind the travel needs of working women and female students.

These bus services will improve connectivity to major employment, educational and institutional centres such as Nehru Place, AIIMS, South Extension, R.K. Puram, Connaught Place, ITO, Delhi Secretariat, Karol Bagh, Kashmere Gate and Shivaji Stadium. The University Ladies Special services will strengthen connectivity for female students to several prominent Delhi University institutions, including Hindu College, Ramjas College, Daulat Ram College, Shri Ram College, LSR, Gargi College, ARSD and Hansraj College.

Public EV charging station launched at Rajghat Depot-1

A public EV charging station was also inaugurated at DTC’s Rajghat Depot-1. The station has four EV chargers, each with a capacity of 240 kW, capable of charging electric buses as well as heavy commercial electric vehicles and electric cars. The station has been developed with a 1,600 kVA compact sub-station to ensure adequate and reliable power supply for the charging facility.

Women’s safety prioritised, special security arrangements for Ladies Special buses

During comprehensive review meetings on women’s safety held on June 3 and June 16, 2026, the Lieutenant Governor, while discussing the issue with the Commissioner of Police and the Transport Secretary, had directed the DTC to operate special ‘Ladies Only’ buses on identified routes. In line with these directions, Ladies Special buses are being operated on routes with a high number of female passengers and on sensitive routes. Women police personnel and Home Guards have been deployed on these buses, and the buses will be operated by female staff.

The Lieutenant Governor had also directed that the panic buttons installed in the buses be directly integrated with the Delhi Police’s 112 PCR emergency response system. With these panic-button-equipped buses being flagged off today, all these directions have effectively come into force. The integrated system will enable alerts to reach the 112 PCR system quickly in an emergency, ensuring a faster and more effective response for the safety of women passengers.

Delhi has an important role in the goal of a Viksit Bharat

Speaking on the occasion, Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu said Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji, through the vision of ‘Shakti Ki Saptdhara’ presented on Independence Day, had placed before the country a broad vision for the development journey towards a developed and self-reliant India. He said development under this vision was not limited to economic progress, but also included better opportunities, stronger capabilities, environmental protection and improvement in citizens’ quality of life.

He said ‘Gati Shakti’ was an important pillar of this vision, under which better mobility, stronger connectivity and a green economy needed to be promoted. The launch of 200 new electric buses in Delhi and the public EV charging station at Rajghat Depot were important steps in this direction. These initiatives would strengthen clean, green and sustainable public transport in the capital while also helping reduce vehicular pollution, he said.

Towards clean, modern and convenient public transport

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the Delhi government’s vision was to build a public transport system that protects the environment while giving the highest priority to the convenience and safety of passengers. The expansion of electric buses, interstate e-bus connectivity, dedicated bus services for women and public EV charging infrastructure were all steps towards building a Delhi where public transport is clean, smart and becomes the first choice for every citizen.

She described the Ladies Special bus service as an important step towards ensuring safe, dignified and convenient travel for women and female students. The Chief Minister said security arrangements had been ensured on these dedicated services along with women conductors. The initiative would also help provide Delhi University students with safe and comfortable transport between their colleges and major residential areas.

She said electric buses had been continuously added to Delhi’s public transport fleet in 2026. As many as 500 new EV buses were added in February, 300 in March, 200 in April and 300 in July, while another 200 electric buses were dedicated to the people of Delhi today. With this, more than 5,000 electric buses are now operating in Delhi and the total bus fleet has reached around 6,800. The expansion of electric buses, she said, was not merely a numerical achievement but an important step towards improving the quality of life of Delhi residents and reducing pollution.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said Delhi would be the first to embrace the vision of ‘Shakti Ki Saptdhara’ presented by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji and move ahead in development, cleanliness, green transport and civic amenities. She expressed confidence that, with the guidance of Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and active participation from Delhi residents, the resolve to build a clean, green and developed Delhi would continue to grow stronger.

Bus fleet to be expanded to 14,000: Transport Minister

Transport Minister Dr Pankaj Kumar Singh said the Ladies Special bus service was a special gift to mothers, sisters and daughters on the auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan. The initiative, he said, further strengthened the government’s commitment to providing women with safe, convenient and dignified public transport.

Through these initiatives, he said, the government was moving towards making Delhi’s public transport safer, more convenient and environmentally friendly. The bus fleet is targeted to be expanded to around 14,000 buses by 2028-29 so that better, reliable and environment-friendly public transport reaches every part of Delhi and the surrounding areas. He said previous governments had never paid attention to the welfare of DTC and its employees. The present government had taken concrete steps to strengthen DTC financially and had succeeded in bringing the transport corporation into profit this year.