CM Vijay Flags Off 250 New Buses in Tamil Nadu, Including 130 Electric Buses

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has flagged off 250 new buses for public use, including 130 low-floor AC electric buses for Chennai, as the state moves ahead with the next phase of public transport fleet modernisation.

The buses were flagged off at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat on August 25. Of the total, the 130 electric buses are being introduced by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), while Tamil Nadu State Transport Undertakings will operate the remaining 120 regular buses. The 130 electric buses have been procured at a cost of ₹234.50 crore, while the 120 regular buses represent an investment of ₹55.58 crore. Together, the 250 buses represent an investment of ₹290.08 crore.

130 Electric Buses to Serve Key Chennai Routes

The new electric buses will operate from Alandur and Central depots.

Of the 130 buses, 80 will be deployed from Alandur and 50 from the Central depot. The services will connect several important residential, employment, and transport corridors across Chennai.

Routes covered include connections to Chennai Airport, Kilambakkam, Siruseri IT Park, OMR, Guindy, Tambaram, Chengalpattu, Mamallapuram, Poonamallee and Anna Square, among other destinations.

For commuters, the significance of the rollout extends beyond the electric powertrain. The buses combine low-floor access with air-conditioning, bringing a more comfortable format of public transport to several heavily used city and suburban corridors. The new deployment also follows MTC’s earlier electric-bus expansion. The corporation currently operates 625 low-floor electric buses, procured under the first phase of its electrification programme.

Chennai Plans 750 More Electric Buses

The latest 130 buses form the first phase of a larger plan to introduce 750 additional low-floor AC electric buses in Chennai. The wider programme is estimated at ₹1,337 crore and will involve seven depots.

The 120 regular buses launched alongside the electric fleet are also part of a wider procurement programme. Tamil Nadu is procuring 1,614 buses for six State Transport Undertakings, with the programme estimated at ₹756 crore.

The latest rollout therefore represents two parallel priorities for Tamil Nadu’s bus sector: accelerating electric bus adoption in Chennai while renewing conventional fleets across the state’s wider public transport network.

For the bus industry, the scale of the electric-bus programme is particularly significant. With 625 electric buses already operating and another 750 planned in the second phase, Chennai is moving from limited e-bus deployment towards a much larger electric public transport network. The challenge now will be to match fleet growth with reliable depot infrastructure, operations, and route-level performance.