TGSRTC moving towards replacing diesel buses

TGSRTC is preparing to replace its diesel buses with electric ones, starting with 2,000 sanctioned under the PM e-Drive scheme. With new depots, charging stations, and Rs 392 crore funding sought, Hyderabad expects its first e-buses to arrive by mid-2026

Hyderabad: The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) is making efforts towards replacing the age-old diesel buses with electric vehicles.

Under the Prime Minister e-Drive scheme, the Central government has already sanctioned a total of 2,000 electric buses for the State, following which the RTC is now focusing on creating the necessary infrastructure for their smooth operation once they hit the city roads.

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For this purpose, it has sought about Rs 292 crore for HT power connections and Rs 100 crore for the construction of 10 new bus depots, totalling an estimate of Rs 392 crore from the State Government.

Further, the corporation has earlier also requested 100 acres of land about 10 acres for each depot. To identify suitable locations, the State Government has set up a committee with officials from the departments concerned.

Currently, Hyderabad has nearly 2,800 diesel buses. Following Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s directive that only electric buses should operate within the Outer Ring Road (ORR), the RTC is exploring alternatives to procure the remaining 800 buses in addition to those sanctioned by the central government, including submitting a fresh request to it.

The Central government has already floated tenders for the 2,000 buses. The opening of financial bids, scheduled for August 12, has been postponed to September. Once finalised, the selected company will begin production, and officials said that the new electric buses are expected to arrive by the first half of 2026.

For charging infrastructure, the RTC plans to secure HT power connections at 19 existing depots and 10 new depots across the city.

In addition, to avoid buses having to return to depots solely for charging, 10 dedicated charging stations are also set up across Hyderabad. Each charging station will require 2,000 square meters of land, for which the RTC has requested government support.