Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation's failure to issue work orders for 4,500 electric buses under the PM E-DRIVE scheme has prompted six states and cities to request 4,220 additional buses, including 2,000 from Andhra Pradesh, 600 from Hyderabad, 500 from Surat, 900 from Rajasthan, 200 from Jammu and Kashmir, and 20 from Meghalaya. Despite the Centre completing the tender process in December 2025 and finalising bids with Greencell Mobility, Chartered Speed, and PMI Electro as lowest bidders, BMTC still awaits Karnataka Cabinet approval to issue Letters of Award. Moneycontrol reports the Union Ministry of Heavy Industries may reallocate Bengaluru's sanctioned fleet if delays continue.
Why it matters: The impasse demonstrates how state level approval bottlenecks can jeopardise large scale e-bus procurements, potentially shifting 4,500 units worth of manufacturing and deployment contracts to competing jurisdictions. Operators and OEMs tracking India's PM E-DRIVE pipeline face uncertainty over whether Karnataka's allocation will proceed or be redistributed among the six requesting states.