The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has inaugurated a revamped depot at Tondiarpet as part of an ongoing expansion of its electric bus fleet. The opening coincided with the roll out of 100 e-buses from the depot, delivering a visible boost to city services. Officials said the move forms part of the Chennai City Partnership programme to modernise urban transport. The project follows earlier procurements aimed at modernising the municipal fleet and enhancing service reliability across the city.

The first phase of the programme is complete and comprises 625 low-floor electric buses in total, including 225 air-conditioned buses and 400 non-air-conditioned buses. The second phase has been announced and will expand the fleet by an additional 750 low-floor electric buses with 500 air-conditioned buses and 250 non-air-conditioned buses. Operators appointed for services include OHM Global Mobility Pvt Ltd and Traveltime Mobility India Pvt.

The enhanced capacity at the Tondiarpet depot is expected to improve route coverage and reduce reliance on fossil fuel vehicles in the metropolitan area. MTC will deploy the new e-buses on high-demand corridors and adjust timetables to optimise utilisation and passenger convenience. Support infrastructure at the depot has been upgraded to handle charging and maintenance requirements for the electric vehicles. The depot upgrades include enhanced electrical distribution and safety systems to support sustained operations and faster turnaround.

City transport planners anticipate that the expanded electric fleet will contribute to lower local emissions and smoother operations while offering passengers more comfortable travel options. The staged approach allows for operational learning and adjustments before further scaling up services across the network. Authorities indicated that future phases will be guided by ridership patterns and performance data to ensure efficient integration. Officials will monitor energy consumption and operational costs to inform subsequent procurement and deployment schedules and assess impacts on travel time.