In recent updates, the State government informed the Legislative Council that Ballari, along with several other cities, has qualified to introduce electric buses under the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme. The cities meeting the eligibility criteria also include Mysuru, Mangaluru, Davangere, Shivamogga, Tumakuru, Hospet, Hubballi, Dharwad, Kalaburagi, and Vijayapura.
Responding to a question raised by member K.A. Thippeswamy during the Question Hour, Minister for Transport and Muzrai Ramalinga Reddy reported that the three State-owned transport corporations, covering these cities, have jointly requested 795 e-buses under the scheme.
Specifically, for Ballari, the KKRTC is seeking 235 buses, with allocations of 100 for Kalaburagi, 55 for Bellari, and 80 for Vijayapura. Minister Reddy emphasized that these proposals are currently under review.
He highlighted that, in accordance with Union government guidelines, BMTC is ineligible to introduce buses under the same scheme.
The PM-eBus Sewa Scheme, introduced by the Union government, aims to enhance India’s electric mobility infrastructure by supporting the deployment of 10,000 electric buses in 169 cities across the country. The scheme, operating on a public-private partnership model, has a Central outlay of ₹20,000 crores out of an estimated cost of ₹57,613 crore. This financial support, totaling ₹20,000 crores, is provided by the Union government. The scheme encompasses bus operations for a duration of 10 years and prioritizes cities with a population of three lakh and above as per the 2011 census, including capital cities of Union Territories, the North Eastern Region, and hill States. Cities lacking organized bus services receive preference under this scheme.