As part of a major push to electric mobility, the Puducherry government has introduced e-bus operations for urban routes under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme and the Smart Cities Mission.There is a plan to deploy a fleet of 100 e-buses in the city out of which 25 buses under Smart City Mission have been operationalised while 15 buses under PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme are being deployed in the first phase.The 15 buses have commenced commercial operations on urban routes.The electric buses are being operated under Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model wherein GreenCell Mobility Private Limited has been selected as the private operator to supply and deploy 75 electric buses under PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme. Fifteen such e-buses were inaugurated during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Puducherry, and the remaining vehicles are expected in a phased manner.Under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme, the Centre plans to deploy 10,000 electric buses nationwide to strengthen public transport and promote e-mobility. The programme’s estimated cost is ₹57,613 crore, with the Centre contributing ₹20,000 crore.A senior official said a new permanent depot and charging facility has been planned for all 75 vehicles sanctioned by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme. “This depot facility will be in addition to the depot and charging facility at Maraimalai Adigal Salai wherein 25 e-buses under Smart City Mission are already being maintained and charged. Under the public–private operating model, GreenCell Mobility will be responsible for drivers and maintenance, while the government-owned Puducherry Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) will deploy conductors and pay the operator on a per-kilometre basis,” he said.Out of 75 buses under PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme, 25 buses are 9 metre AC buses while remaining 50 are 12 metre AC buses.These buses are equipped with modern facilities, including wheelchair lifts for facilitating access to differently-abled passengers. Published - June 09, 2026 08:11 pm IST