CESL Sets Nov. 6 Bid Opening for 10,900 E-Buses Across Five Indian Cities

Overview

• Bengaluru, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Surat are allocated 4,500, 2,800, 2,000, 1,000 and 600 buses respectively.
• CESL reported strong pre-bid participation from domestic and international manufacturers, with bid submissions extended to November 6 after issuing clarifications.
• Winning operators must build charging depots, meet strict service-level targets for uptime and efficiency, hire locally, and include women as drivers and maintenance engineers.
• The tender spans AC and non-AC buses across standard-floor, low-floor and BRT categories, with operators responsible for operation and maintenance under a per‑kilometre payment structure.
• CESL projects major emissions cuts from replacing diesel fleets and signals planned expansion to Andhra Pradesh cities such as Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Nellore and Tirupati.