As many as 50 more electric buses to hit city streets soon

Kolkata: The West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) has decided to add 50 more electric buses to its existing fleet of 80 by

next year.

"There is huge demand for electric buses. At present 80 buses are already running on the roads and 50 more buses more will be added within six months," said an official.

He insisted that the electric buses were environment-friendly and would help in curbing the level of pollution in the city.

Both in India and abroad, special drives have been taken up to introduce electric vehicles to replace the fuel-driven ones for reducing environmental pollution. According to sources, WBTC has set a target of electrifying all its buses by 2030—entailing 5,000 e-buses in operation.

In February 2019, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had flagged 20 electric buses.

Thereafter, another 60 electric buses were pressed into services in a phased manner.

This apart, Kolkata is the only city from India whose successful operation of electric buses has featured in the flagship report of International Energy Agency (IEA) - Global Electric Vehicle Outlook (GEVO) 2020, released in Paris recently.