New Report Highlights Pune, India, as Pioneer of Electric Buses for Public Transport
City on track to meet Maharashtra EV Policy target three years ahead of schedule
April 5th, 2022, Pune. India
Shri Aaditya Thackeray, Honorable Minister for Environment, Tourism, and Protocol for the Government of Maharashtra, launched a new report on the city of Pune’s journey to electrify its public transport bus fleet. As an early adopter of e-buses, Pune offers a valuable case study for other Indian cities.
The report, Pioneering Electric Buses in Pune: A Case Study on the City’s Initial Procurement and Operations, was launched at the Pune Alternate Fuel Conclave. Co-authored by Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML), Pune Smart City Development Corporation Limited (PSCDCL), RMI, and RMI India, it provides insights on the forms of interagency coordination, policy support, business model design, tendering and contracting terms, and infrastructure planning to enable e-bus adoption in Indian cities.
“Transport and energy are two of the most important sectors for climate action,” said Honorable Minister Aaditya Thackeray. “When we talk about electric vehicles, Pune is the most advanced city in Maharashtra.”
PMPML, Pune’s public transport agency, currently has 220 e-buses — one of the largest municipal e-bus fleets operational in India. As of February 2022, the 150 e-buses procured initially have driven more than 12 million miles. Once PMPML commissions the remaining 430 e-buses it has tendered, expected by August 2022, Pune will be on track to meet the target outlined in Maharashtra’s EV Policy — 25 percent electrification of the public transport bus fleet by 2025 — several years ahead of schedule.
“Pune has been in the forefront to adopt initiatives to promote sustainable citizen-centric mobility,” said Shri Vikram Kumar, municipal commissioner, PMC. “The successful operation of e-buses over the past year has been extremely encouraging for the city, as it has provided a clean means of transportation for the masses,” he continued. “PMC, PSCDCL, and PCMC will continue to collaborate with civil-society organizations, academic institutions, and experts to continuously identify and adopt measures toward ensuring citizen-friendly mobility.”
Analysis in the report shows that, with government incentives, the total cost of ownership of a 12-meter air-conditioned e-bus in Pune can be 15 percent lower than diesel and more economical than compressed natural gas. In addition, the report shows that electrifying all 650 e-buses in PMPML’s fleet would avoid 1.2 tons of local air pollution (PM2.5) and 96,000 tons of CO2 emissions over the lifetime of the vehicles — equivalent to the lifetime CO2 emissions of nearly 2,000 gas-fueled cars.
“The city of Pune has emerged as a leading early adopter of e-buses in India,” said Clay Stranger, managing director, RMI, who works closely with the city on clean mobility initiatives. “The innovative procurement model that they have adopted reduces technological, financial, and operational risks that we have seen public transport agencies face around the world,” he continued. “The report offers valuable lessons for other cities as they embark on their paths to public transport electrification.”
The city of Pune will continue to work toward integrating more e-buses into PMPML’s fleet. In the near term, PMC plans to procure an additional 300 7-metre e-buses using the same procurement model, according to the report. These e-buses will be used for feeder services to the growing metro network in the Pune Metropolitan Region.
For more details, please contact Pune Municipal Corporation’s EV Cell at evcell@punecorporation.org and Dimpy Suneja at dsuneja@rmi.org
About RMI
RMI is an independent nonprofit organization founded in 1982 that transforms global energy systems through market-driven solutions to align with a 1.5°C future and secure a clean, prosperous, and zero-carbon future for all. We work in the world’s most critical geographies and engage businesses, policymakers, communities, and NGOs to identify and scale energy system interventions that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2030. RMI has offices in Basalt and Boulder, Colorado; New York City; Oakland, California; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing.
About RMI India
RMI India is an independent think-and-do tank. RMI India takes inspiration from and collaborates with RMI, a 40-year-old non-governmental organization. RMI India’s mission is to accelerate India’s transition to a clean, prosperous, and inclusive energy future.