In response to a query posed by Congress MLA Tanveer Sait in the legislative assembly on Wednesday, Karnataka's transport minister, B Sriramulu, stated that the state intends to convert all 35,000 of its buses into electric cars by 2030.

According to him, the state administration intends to convert around 35,000 buses to electric power due to worries about the environment and pollution.

The state transportation system, he said, is losing money due to rising fuel prices, thus conversations are already taking place to convert all of its buses to electric power in order to start turning a profit. Buses powered by diesel cost Rs 68.53 per kilometer.

"Our goal is for all of our buses to be electric by 2030. By 2030, we'll make every attempt to have all 35,000 buses run on electricity" Added he.

The Minister asserts that the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) leases its usage of electric buses rather than purchasing them. The BMTC has been running 90 electric buses as part of the Smart City Project since December 2021 under a "Gross Cost Contract" with a 12-year term. The cost of these buses is Rs 64.67 per kilometer (km).

Additionally, the state has bought 300 electric buses under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid and) Electric Vehicles - FAME II plan of the federal government, 75 of which have been in service since August 15 of this year at a cost of Rs 61.90 per kilometre.

An order to run 921 electric buses under Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL), with a per-kilometer cost of Rs 54 for these buses, was also issued on August 17 under the Centre's FAME II initiative.