India crosses 14,000 electric buses under National Electric Bus Programme: Nitin Gadkari

India now operates over 14,000 electric buses under the NEBP, Parliament was informed. The Centre has extended the PM E-Drive scheme till 2028 to support e-buses and trucks, offering incentives up to Rs 9.6 lakh per e-truck to accelerate clean mobility

New Delhi: India now has 14,329 electric buses operating on the roads as part of the National Electric Bus Programme (NEBP), the Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

NITI Aayog has requested Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL) to perform the role of a programme manager for the demand aggregation of 50,000 e-buses.

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The government has introduced a number of schemes, such as “PM-eBus Sewa” and “PM E-Drive”, which extend financial assistance for electric vehicles.

“State Transport Corporations may send proposals to the departments concerned for assistance. No fund has been allocated as financial assistance to Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation in the last five years,” Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

Earlier this month, the Central government extended the PM E-Drive scheme for electric buses, ambulances, and trucks by two years to March 2028. According to a gazette notification issued by the Union Ministry of Heavy Industries, the scheme will now lapse in March 2028 instead of March 2026.

Fund allocation for the scheme has been maintained at Rs 10,900 crore, and no additional allocation will be made under the scheme, according to the notification. As per the notification, incentives for electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers will end by March 2026.

The PM E-Drive scheme supports decarbonisation with up to Rs 9.6 lakh incentives for switching to electric trucks, targeting approximately 5,600 e-trucks nationwide.

In July, the government launched a groundbreaking scheme to provide financial incentives for electric trucks (e-trucks) under the PM E-Drive initiative, with the maximum incentive set at Rs 9.6 lakh per vehicle.

This marks the first time the government is extending direct support for electric trucks, aiming to accelerate the country’s transition to clean, efficient and sustainable freight mobility. The scheme is expected to support the deployment of approximately 5,600 e-trucks across the country.