Chennai now has two generations of electric city buses on the road. The first is a 625-bus fleet of low-floor e-buses, 400 non-AC and 225 AC, rolled out from June 2025 across five depots. The second began on 25 August 2026, when Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay flagged off 130 low-floor AC e-buses, the first of 750 planned in phase two, DT Next reported.
Both phases are part of a World Bank-supported programme in which MTC does not buy the buses outright. Private operators supply and run them under a performance-based gross cost contract, while MTC remains the public operator that riders deal with. Here is where the buses run from, which routes they serve and what comes next.
Phase one: 625 buses, five depots
The first batch of 120 e-buses left Vyasarpadi depot on 30 June 2025, according to MTC’s notice, which said the buses carry cameras, panic buttons and USB charging points. The full phase-one fleet of 625 was assigned to Vyasarpadi, Perumbakkam, Tondiarpet-I, Poonamallee and Central depots, DT Next reported, under the Chennai City Partnership’s sustainable urban services programme.
Rollout came in steps. By December 2025, 380 had been deployed: 120 at Vyasarpadi in June, 135 at Perumbakkam in August and 125 at Poonamallee in December, which serves ten routes, according to electrive. The balance was to follow from Central and Tondiarpet.
By August 2026 MTC was running 625 low-floor electric buses procured at Rs 697 crore through five depots, DT Next said in its report on the phase-two launch.
Phase two: AC e-buses from Alandur and Central
The 130 buses launched in August are all air-conditioned and low-floor. They were procured for Rs 1,337 crore under the gross cost contract model. The figure is far higher than the purchase price of an ordinary bus because it covers operation over the contract period. Of the 130, 80 run from Alandur depot and 50 from Central depot.
| Depot | Routes on AC e-buses (from August 2026) |
|---|---|
| Alandur (80 buses) | MAA1, MAA2, MAA3, 113, 76V, D70, 500P, 570R, 114R, 515P, 119, 170C, 9M, 70V, 105 |
| Central (50 buses) | 2C, 7H, PP21, 29A, 40H, 40A, 88Kct, 221, 72, 25 |
Together these 25 routes reach the airport, Kilambakkam, Siruseri IT Park on OMR, Tambaram, Chengalpattu, Mamallapuram, Guindy, Anna Nagar, Pattabiram, Kundrathur and Poonamallee. Transport Minister A. Vijay Tamilan Parthiban and MTC Managing Director T. Mohan attended the launch.
More are on the way. MTC is converting KK Nagar into an electric depot that will receive 130 buses, and it has floated a tender for 1,000 more AC e-buses, DT Next reported on 5 October 2026. MTC’s own notices say six depots are being upgraded with charging and maintenance infrastructure for phase two.
How the contract model works
In a gross cost contract, the private operator provides and maintains the buses and is paid by the transport authority for the service it delivers, with payment tied to performance, while fare revenue stays with the public side. That is why the reported contract values look large next to the price of a single bus: they cover years of operation, not just the vehicles. The approach also moves much of the risk of battery and maintenance problems away from MTC. The phase-one contracts were described as performance-based by DT Next, and the depot upgrades that went with them cost over Rs 100 crore.
Smaller e-buses for metro stations
MTC also plans 70 seven-metre mini electric buses to connect metro stations, with about 150 microbuses in a later stage, according to its November 2025 notice. These are meant for narrow streets where a 12-metre bus cannot turn. No launch date had been announced as of mid-October 2026.
What it means for riders
- AC versus non-AC: AC e-buses charge the AC fare. Free travel for women applies to ordinary city buses, and none of the official notices said AC services are included, so ask the conductor.
- Accessibility: low floors make boarding easier for older riders, parents with prams and wheelchair users, and the first batch came with panic buttons and cameras.
- Finding them: the Chennai Bus app and the Chennai One app show live bus positions. MTC has also been trialling GPS-linked LED boards that show arrivals, with 500 locations planned.
- Fleet age: new buses of all kinds have cut MTC’s average fleet age from 9.61 years in 2023-24 to 4.98 years by August 2026. The fleet now stands at about 4,153 buses across 35 depots, though 611 are still past the replacement age.
Quick answers
How many electric buses does MTC run?
625 low-floor e-buses from phase one, plus the first 130 AC e-buses of phase two launched in August 2026.
Which depots run electric buses in Chennai?
Vyasarpadi, Perumbakkam, Tondiarpet-I, Poonamallee and Central for phase one, and Alandur and Central for phase two. KK Nagar is being converted next.
Do e-buses go to Chennai airport?
Yes. Alandur’s AC e-buses run on MAA1, MAA2 and MAA3, among other routes.
Who owns the e-buses?
Private operators, under a gross cost contract with MTC. MTC sets routes and fares and pays per kilometre.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- MTC news: e-bus launch, depot upgrades and mini e-buses (Metropolitan Transport Corporation)
- MTC home page (Metropolitan Transport Corporation)
- CM Vijay flags off 130 new AC electric buses and 120 regular buses (DT Next)
- MTC fleet gets younger, but 611 buses are past retirement (DT Next)
- Chennai MTC’s first batch of e-buses rolled out from Vyasarpadi (DT Next)
- India: Delhi and Chennai commission over 200 electric buses (electrive)
