GreenCell Mobility (GCM) has announced the deployment of 75 electric buses in Puducherry as part of the Union Territory's push to transition its public transportation network to zero-emission operations. The announcement was made at an event in Puducherry led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, underscoring the central government's involvement in accelerating clean mobility initiatives across India's urban and semi-urban centres.
The fleet will be supplied by EKA Mobility, a domestic electric vehicle manufacturer, and will operate from the Mettupalayam Bus Depot. The 75 buses comprise 25 nine-metre vehicles and 50 twelve-metre vehicles, all air-conditioned and configured to serve Puducherry's standard and trunk route requirements. The varying bus sizes reflect an effort to match vehicle capacity to the different operational demands of feeder and trunk corridors within the Union Territory.
Each bus is equipped with an Integrated Transport Management System (ITMS), passenger information displays, real-time vehicle tracking systems, and internal and reversing cameras. The vehicles also include infrastructure designed for differently-abled passengers, in keeping with accessibility requirements for public transport. According to the company, the induction of the fleet is expected to reduce tailpipe emissions and improve the reliability of services across key routes.
Devendra Chawla, Managing Director and CEO of GreenCell Mobility, said the Puducherry deployment reflects the company's broader strategy to build sustainable public transport infrastructure in India's smaller urban and semi-urban centres, not just its largest cities. He noted that the project is supported by institutional capital and government policy, and that the company's focus remains on delivering electric mobility solutions that transport authorities can rely on over the long term.
The Puducherry project forms part of a significantly larger national deployment. GreenCell Mobility is currently executing electric bus contracts across multiple states, including 915 buses in Telangana, 750 in Andhra Pradesh, 700 in Uttar Pradesh, 582 in Madhya Pradesh, 570 in Delhi, 400 in Karnataka, and 150 in Surat. In addition, the company operates 50 intercity electric buses for the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), extending its presence beyond urban transit into the intercity segment.
These projects are being executed under national frameworks including the National E-Bus Program and the PM Seva E-Mobility Program, both of which are designed to accelerate the adoption of electric buses across Indian cities by providing financial and policy support to operators and state transport undertakings. GreenCell Mobility operates under an Electric Mobility-as-a-Service (eMaaS) model, in which it partners with governments and transport authorities to manage operations, maintenance, and charging infrastructure, rather than selling buses outright.
The company currently operates a fleet of over 1,200 electric buses across intra-city and intercity routes nationwide, supported by a network of more than 270 charging stations. This infrastructure footprint is central to the eMaaS model, which requires operators to manage end-to-end service delivery rather than function solely as vehicle providers.
Through its intercity brand NueGo, GreenCell Mobility operates a premium electric coach service connecting over 100 locations across India, with a fleet of more than 300 electric coaches. NueGo coaches are designed for longer-distance travel, with a stated range of over 250 kilometres on a single charge under standard operating conditions.
GreenCell Mobility is backed by Eversource Capital, a sustainable infrastructure investment firm operating in India and Southeast Asia. Eversource Capital describes its mandate as mobilising capital for large-scale clean energy and mobility solutions, with electric mobility forming one of three focus areas alongside renewable energy and resource efficiency.
The Puducherry deployment adds to a pattern of Union Territories and smaller states seeking to modernise public transport infrastructure through partnerships with private electric mobility operators, a model that has gained traction as central government funding schemes have made such projects more financially accessible.