Karnataka is pushing for 5,000 electric buses for Bengaluru under the PM E-DRIVE scheme to strengthen the city’s public transport and tackle its notorious traffic congestion. Introduced by the Ministry of Heavy Industries in September, the PM E-DRIVE scheme incorporates elements of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) schemes, which ran from 2015 to 2024 and invested Rs 12,395 crore to promote electric vehicles.

Under this initiative, the central government plans to spend Rs 10,900 crore, including Rs 4,391 crore, to deploy 14,028 e-buses in nine major cities. Bengaluru, currently served by over 6,000 BMTC buses, retires 400-500 overage buses annually, highlighting the need for an expanded fleet. LK Atheeq, Karnataka’s Additional Chief Secretary for Finance, emphasised the urgency of the matter, stating the city requires 10,000-12,000 buses and expressing optimism about securing a significant share of the e-buses under the scheme.