The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has approved the deployment of 1,725 air-conditioned electric buses in 18 cities of the state. Announced on Friday, the initiative will be implemented under the Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model, with commercial operations planned for a contract period of 12 years.
The fleet will consist of 9-metre and 12-metre electric buses, with the allocation varying across cities depending on the approved deployment plan.
Lucknow and Kanpur will get 300 buses, followed by Varanasi with 250 buses and Gorakhpur with 150 buses. 100 buses will be allotted to Agra, Ghaziabad, Meerut and Noida including Jewar.
Ayodhya, Prayagraj and Mathura-Vrindavan will get 50-50 buses. The remaining 25 buses per city will be deployed in Aligarh, Firozabad, Shahjahanpur, Bareilly, Moradabad, Saharanpur and Jhansi.
Private operators will manage fleet operations
Under the GCC model, private operators selected through a competitive bidding process will be responsible for purchasing buses, setting up charging infrastructure at depots, hiring drivers and managing day-to-day operations.
Meanwhile, the state government will retain control over passenger fares and user charges, allowing it to set the pricing framework for electric bus services.
Government Subsidy and Depot Infrastructure Support
To support the deployment, the government will provide a subsidy of ₹40 lakh for each 12-metre electric bus and ₹35 lakh for each 9-metre bus.
Municipal Corporation and Noida Authority will also provide free land to build the bus depot.
The initiative is expected to expand electric public transport across Uttar Pradesh, support clean urban mobility and establish a framework for private sector participation in bus procurement and operation.