PM Modi Flags Off 200 JBM Electric Buses Across Three Cities

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday flagged off 200 JBM Ecolife electric buses from Guwahati, Assam, in a ceremony that marks one of the larger single-event deployments under the central government's PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme. The new fleet has been distributed across three cities: 100 buses to Guwahati, 50 to Bhavnagar in Gujarat, and 50 to Nagpur in Maharashtra. The addition brings JBM Auto's total operational electric bus fleet in India past the 3,200-unit mark.

The buses are 9-metre low-floor, air-conditioned units equipped with CCTV cameras, automatic doors, and accessibility features for senior citizens and passengers with disabilities. The vehicles are intended for intra-city routes and are designed to improve last-mile connectivity while cutting urban carbon emissions. Supporting charging and depot infrastructure is being developed in each of the three cities to enable smooth day-to-day operations.

JBM Auto states that its electric bus fleet has collectively covered more than 300 million kilometres, transported over one billion passengers, and contributed to avoiding more than one billion kilograms of CO₂ emissions since the company began large-scale EV bus deployments. The company manufactures its buses at a facility it describes as one of the largest electric bus plants outside China, with a stated annual production capacity of 20,000 units.

"As a nation, we are steadily progressing towards green mobility. It reflects the power of visionary leadership, progressive policy and public-private collaboration in accelerating large-scale transformation." — Nishant Arya, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, JBM Auto

The event is part of a broader government push to electrify urban public transport across India. The PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme, launched to introduce electric buses in cities that lack organised bus services, has drawn participation from several bus manufacturers and state transport undertakings. Officials have framed such deployments as steps toward India's stated goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2070.

For passengers in the three cities, the new routes are expected to become operational in the coming weeks as depots and charging stations are commissioned. Officials in Guwahati noted that the addition of 100 electric buses represents a significant expansion for the city's public transport network, which has historically relied on ageing diesel-powered fleets.