IEA report calls Kolkata e-bus service as role model in eco- friendly transport sector: Bengal minister

"We are committed to introducing more eco-friendly buses across the state in a phased manner, which will significantly reduce air pollution," Adhikari said. The state government has decided not to induct any new diesel bus in Kolkata and only electric and CNG-based vehicles will be procured by the WBTC from now on, a senior transport department official said.

The International Energy Agency's flagship report, the Global Electric Vehicle Outlook (GEVO) 2020, has showcased a study on the deployment of electric buses in Kolkata, describing it as a role model in the environment-friendly public transport sector, a senior West Bengal minister said on Tuesday. The report, which was released in Paris on Monday, showcases a study on the e-buses in Kolkata, one of the four cities in the world and the only one from India to have been covered in the report, state Transport Minister Suvendu Adhikari said.

The report also covered Shenzen in China, Finland's capital Helsinki and Santiago in Chile, Adhikari said. The Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) will also print the study in its forthcoming publication, 'Multiple Benefits of Energy Efficiency', the minister said.

"The head of the Energy Efficiency Division of the IEA has said that Kolkata is an inspiration for other cities across the globe," Adhikari said. The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) had conducted the case study on the successful implementation and operation of e-buses in the city.

The transport department has taken several policy measures to introduce electric mobility in the state, with the West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) having so far introduced 80 electric buses operating in and around Kolkata, he said. "We are committed to introducing more eco-friendly buses across the state in a phased manner, which will significantly reduce air pollution," Adhikari said.

The state government has decided not to induct any new diesel bus in Kolkata and only electric and CNG-based vehicles will be procured by the WBTC from now on, a senior transport department official said. "The plan is to have an entire city fleet of 5,000 e- buses by 2030, which is expected to reduce the cumulative carbon dioxide emission by 7,82,560 tonnes," he said, adding that the government has embarked on a plan to set up 241 electric vehicle charging stations in the Kolkata Municipal Area.

The total cost of ownership (TCO) of an electric bus stands at Rs 45 to Rs 50 per kilometre, while the TCO for a diesel bus is Rs 37 per km, the official said. However, the running cost of e-buses comes to Rs 22 per km, which is one-third of the amount it takes to run an air-conditioned diesel bus and owing to the falling price of batteries, electric buses are expected to be commercially viable in the country within the next two to three years, he said.

"Kolkata is one of the biggest metropolitan cities in Asia. It has been a pioneer in electric mobility and we would like to increase this for a better environment," state Transport Secretary Prabhat Kumar Mishra said. Rajanvir Singh Kapur, managing director of the WBTC, said that Kolkata has the distinction of being the only city in the country to have been running electric trams for over a century as the most environment-friendly mode of public transport.

"WBTC will increase the number of electric buses on the roads of Kolkata and its surrounding areas to reduce air pollution and dependence on fossil fuels," Kapur said..