In the third phase of its electric bus rollout, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) plans to operate 125 electric buses from the Poonamallee depot starting September. This is part of Tamil Nadu government’s ambitious plan to purchase 1,225 electric buses with financial support from the World Bank.

In phase one, an agreement was signed to buy 625 buses from Om Global Mobility, a subsidiary of Ashok Leyland. On June 30, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated 120 new electric buses at a cost of Rs 208 crore. The charging infrastructure for these buses was set up at Vyasarpadi workshop at a cost of Rs 47.5 crore.

Phase two saw 135 electric buses being operated from the Perumbakkam workshop. Following the success of the earlier phases, MTC will now launch 125 buses in the third phase from Poonamallee, further strengthening Chennai’s public transport system and promoting sustainable mobility.