Four firms in the fray for Chennai MTC’s electric bus tender
The project is being implemented under the Chennai City Partnership Programme, supported by the World Bank and facilitated through the TN Infrastructure Development Board.
Four firms in the fray for MTC’s electric bus tender (Photo: Justin George)
CHENNAI: Four private firms have participated in the Metropolitan Transport Corporation’s tender to induct 600 low-floor electric buses, including 400 AC units, under Phase II of its fleet electrification initiative.
According to the State government’s eProcurement portal, bids were submitted by Hyderabad-based EVEY Trans, Eagle Construction, OHM Global Mobility, and Traveltime Mobility India.
The technical bids opened on June 10 with the financial bids to be opened in the next stage. As per the Least Cost Selection method, the successful bidder will be chosen based on the lowest weighted average cost/km. Each bus is expected to operate 6,500 km/month under a 12-year Gross Cost Contracting (GCC) model.
The project is being implemented under the Chennai City Partnership Programme, supported by the World Bank and facilitated through the TN Infrastructure Development Board. MTC operates over 3,500 buses on 659 routes, serving more than 33.6 lakh passengers daily.
Earlier, MTC had awarded a similar contract to OHM Global Mobility, a subsidiary of Ashok Leyland, for 625 electric buses, including 225 AC buses, also under the World Bank-supported initiative. The launch of this fleet is expected shortly.
Under the GCC model, the contractor is responsible for the procurement, operation and maintenance of buses, while MTC specifies the routes. The buses will be operated by the contractor’s drivers, with MTC deploying its conductors. The contractor will be paid a fixed per-kilometre rate, while MTC will collect fares from passengers.
In a parallel development, JBM Electric Vehicles and Switch Mobility Automotive have submitted bids for the supply and operation of 500 low-floor electric buses, including 340 AC buses, under a KfW-funded initiative administered by the Institute of Road Transport (IRT). This tender covers deployment in Chennai, Coimbatore, and Madurai, along with associated upgrades to bus depots and the installation of charging infrastructure.
The project is supported by the Climate Friendly Urban Mobility Programme of KfW (German development bank), and follows a design–build–operate model. Technical bids were submitted on May 16, and the opening of financial bids is expected shortly.
