Chennai Becomes First in Tamil Nadu to Introduce 120 Green Buses

03 Jul 2025 CW Team

Each bus, once fully charged in around two hours, can cover a distance of up to 200 km. These buses are equipped with 13 emergency panic buttons, four surveillance cameras, a mobile charging point for every two seats, and a public announcement system. The electric buses feature a mix of low-floor seats at the front and high-floor seats at the rear, with the floor height adjustable from 400mm to 250mm to enhance accessibility, including for disabled passengers.

An electric vehicle charging station, constructed at a cost of Rs 470.5 million, was also inaugurated as part of this green initiative. The newly inducted fleet, which cost Rs 2.07 billion, falls under the Chennai Sustainable Urban Services Program (C-SUSP), supported by the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

In response to earlier complaints about poor ventilation in previously introduced low-floor buses, the MTC has made design adjustments in the new fleet, including increased window height and the addition of sliding windows in the rear section.

These 120 electric buses are part of the first phase of a larger plan to introduce 650 electric buses in the city, with a total target of 1,225 e-buses eventually operating across Chennai. The current fleet has been deployed on 11 routes as deluxe services.

Officials confirmed that these new buses are meant to enhance existing services without reducing the number of current ones. They will operate under the Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model, wherein a private operator is responsible for building, running, and maintaining the buses over a 12-year period. MTC will pay Rs 77.16 per km to OHM Global Mobility, a subsidiary of Ashok Leyland and SWITCH Mobility, which manufactured the buses.

While conductors hired on contract by MTC will be deployed in the buses, ticketing will be carried out exclusively through electronic machines.

The 11 routes for the new buses include:

K Kannadasan Nagar to K Kannadasan Nagar (2B, circular route via Anna Square, Central, and Vyasarpadi)
Broadway to Kilambakkam (18A)
K Kannadasan Nagar circular routes (C33 and C64 via Moolakadai, Choolai, Central, and Broadway)
Poonamallee to Vallalar Nagar (37)
M K B Nagar to MGR Koyambedu (46G)
Vallalar Nagar to Redhills (57)
Vallalar Nagar to Periyapalayam (57X)
Manali to Perambur (164E)
M K B Nagar to Kilambakkam (170TX)
T V K Nagar to Guindy TVK Estate.

News source: New Indian Express

Chief Minister MK Stalin launched 120 low-floor, non-air-conditioned electric buses from the Vyasarpadi depot of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) on Monday, marking the first deployment of electric buses by a state-run transport body in Tamil Nadu.Each bus, once fully charged in around two hours, can cover a distance of up to 200 km. These buses are equipped with 13 emergency panic buttons, four surveillance cameras, a mobile charging point for every two seats, and a public announcement system. The electric buses feature a mix of low-floor seats at the front and high-floor seats at the rear, with the floor height adjustable from 400mm to 250mm to enhance accessibility, including for disabled passengers.An electric vehicle charging station, constructed at a cost of Rs 470.5 million, was also inaugurated as part of this green initiative. The newly inducted fleet, which cost Rs 2.07 billion, falls under the Chennai Sustainable Urban Services Program (C-SUSP), supported by the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).In response to earlier complaints about poor ventilation in previously introduced low-floor buses, the MTC has made design adjustments in the new fleet, including increased window height and the addition of sliding windows in the rear section.These 120 electric buses are part of the first phase of a larger plan to introduce 650 electric buses in the city, with a total target of 1,225 e-buses eventually operating across Chennai. The current fleet has been deployed on 11 routes as deluxe services.Officials confirmed that these new buses are meant to enhance existing services without reducing the number of current ones. They will operate under the Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model, wherein a private operator is responsible for building, running, and maintaining the buses over a 12-year period. MTC will pay Rs 77.16 per km to OHM Global Mobility, a subsidiary of Ashok Leyland and SWITCH Mobility, which manufactured the buses.While conductors hired on contract by MTC will be deployed in the buses, ticketing will be carried out exclusively through electronic machines.The 11 routes for the new buses include:K Kannadasan Nagar to K Kannadasan Nagar (2B, circular route via Anna Square, Central, and Vyasarpadi)Broadway to Kilambakkam (18A)K Kannadasan Nagar circular routes (C33 and C64 via Moolakadai, Choolai, Central, and Broadway)Poonamallee to Vallalar Nagar (37)M K B Nagar to MGR Koyambedu (46G)Vallalar Nagar to Redhills (57)Vallalar Nagar to Periyapalayam (57X)Manali to Perambur (164E)M K B Nagar to Kilambakkam (170TX)T V K Nagar to Guindy TVK Estate. News source: New Indian Express

Real Estate

31 Oct 2025

Birla Estates Tops Global GRESB 2025 Rankings

Birla Estates (BEPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Aditya Birla Real Estate (formerly Century Textiles and Industries Limited), has been recognised as a Sector Leader in the 2025 GRESB Real Estate Assessment, securing top honours across multiple global and regional categories.Birla Estates’ Achievements in GRESB 2025:Global Sector Leader – ResidentialGlobal Sector Leader – Non-Listed ResidentialRegional Sector Leader – Asia – ResidentialRegional Sector Leader – Non-Listed – Asia – ResidentialThese distinctions reaffirm Birla Estates’ exceptional performance in Environmental, ..

Infrastructure Transport

31 Oct 2025

Progota India Secures RDSO Clearance for Kavach 4.0

Concord Control Systems, one of India’s leading manufacturers of embedded electronic and critical system solutions, announced that its associate company, Progota India, has received Technical Prototype Clearance from the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) for Kavach 4.0, the latest version of Indian Railways’ indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system.With this clearance, Progota has been formally approved to execute its ongoing trial order from South Central Railway, marking a key milestone in India’s railway modernization journey. The approval also establishes P..

Infrastructure Urban

31 Oct 2025

MPS Interactive Systems Completes Full Acquisition of Liberate Group

MPS Interactive Systems (MPSi), a material subsidiary of MPS, has completed the acquisition of the remaining shareholding in the Liberate Group of Companies—comprising Liberate Learning, App-eLearn, and Liberate eLearning.With this transaction, MPSi now holds 100 per cent ownership of all entities within the Liberate Group, making them its wholly owned subsidiaries. The acquisition was executed in line with the valuation methodology defined in the original transaction documents.Commenting on the development, Rahul Arora, Chairman and CEO of MPS, said, “The corporate learning sector continu..