Chennai’s plan to add 1,000 air-conditioned electric buses and 220 Metro feeder buses has suffered a setback after the Metropolitan Transport Corporation cancelled the tenders for both procurements, according to a report by the Times of India. The decision affects a proposed expansion of the city’s electric fleet and a dedicated first- and last-mile connectivity plan for Metro passengers.
MTC cited administrative reasons for cancelling the tender for the 1,000 low-floor air-conditioned electric buses. The tender for 220 small and micro air-conditioned buses was cancelled after no bidders came forward, the report said. The feeder buses were intended to provide connections between Metro stations and surrounding neighbourhoods, where the availability of convenient access can influence whether commuters use mass transit for the complete journey.
The tenders had been floated by the Tamil Nadu government in February, but MTC postponed the bid openings several times before cancelling them. The state government had allocated Rs 500 crore in the latest budget for the procurement of 1,000 buses. The report did not specify whether the allocation will be retained, revised or re-tendered after the cancellations.
MTC officials were unavailable for comment, according to the report. The corporation’s next steps on the cancelled procurements, including any revised tender conditions or a new bidding schedule, were therefore not immediately available.
The proposed procurement comes as MTC operates a fleet of 4,206 buses across Chennai. Of these, 755 are electric buses, comprising 400 non-air-conditioned and 355 air-conditioned vehicles. The existing electric buses are operated by OHM Global Mobility and Switch Mobility under the gross-cost contract model, in which a private operator typically supplies and operates buses under an agreed service arrangement.
MTC operates 687 routes and serves 31.27 lakh passengers, making the timing and scale of fleet additions significant for the city’s daily public transport network. The proposed 1,000-bus purchase would have expanded the corporation’s electric fleet substantially, while the 220 small and micro buses were designed specifically around Metro connectivity rather than general route operations.
The fate of a separate tender for 300 non-air-conditioned small buses remains unclear. MTC has scheduled the bid opening for Friday, according to the report. That process could indicate whether the corporation is continuing with smaller-bus procurement through a separate tender even as the air-conditioned Metro feeder tender has been cancelled.
