Mumbai, March 16: Maharashtra’s Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik announced on Monday that the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) plans to convert its entire fleet of 22,000 buses to electric vehicles by 2037.
This initiative positions Maharashtra as the first state in India to commit to a fully electric government bus network. Currently, around 800 of the 22,000 buses are electric. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis envision that India will transition to complete electric mobility by 2047.
As part of this campaign, Maharashtra has set an ambitious goal to ensure that MSRTC’s fleet is entirely electric by 2037. Sarnaik noted that while there was an initial plan to purchase 5,000 diesel buses annually over the next five years, this strategy has been completely revised.
He explained that aside from the 8,000 diesel buses currently in operation, all future additions to the fleet will be electric. A plan is also in place to convert existing diesel buses to electric vehicles. Furthermore, a proposal has been developed to utilize solar energy for charging stations, which will save electricity and benefit the environment. The government aims to reduce reliance on traditional power grids by using solar energy for these stations.
The minister highlighted that under the state’s ‘EV Policy 2026’, various economic incentives are being offered for purchasing electric vehicles, including tax exemptions and toll concessions. Currently, electric vehicles enjoy complete toll exemptions on major routes such as the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg, and the Atal Setu (MTHL). He added that the state government is developing charging stations every 25 kilometers along highways, providing economic benefits and promoting courses related to charging technology development.
Delhi currently boasts the largest fleet of electric buses in India, with over 4,200 EVs. Under its EV policy, the Delhi government aims to expand its electric bus fleet to 7,500 by the end of 2026 and to 14,000 by 2028.
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