Breakdowns, delays and rising accidents: Govt flags major failures in Bengaluru’s e-bus fleet

Frequent technical glitches, high accident rates and poor service delivery by private operators have raised alarm over the performance of Bengaluru’s electric buses under the GCC model.

Frequent breakdowns, persistent technical failures and a worrying rise in accidents involving Bengaluru’s electric buses have drawn sharp criticism from the Karnataka government. Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, addressing the Legislative Council on Thursday, said the worsening performance of the e-bus fleet is now affecting the city’s public transport reliability and reputation.

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BMTC currently operates 1,221 non-AC electric buses under the Centre’s FAME-II scheme, with all vehicles run by private companies through the Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model. However, the minister said these operators, NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam, Tata Motors and OHM Global Mobility, have failed to meet service expectations.

According to government data, battery-related problems continue to dominate breakdown reports. Between 2023-24 and September 2025, BMTC recorded 14,802 battery failures, alongside 2,049 breakdowns caused by electrical drive motor issues, steering defects and front axle problems. Reddy said insufficient maintenance and poor driver training have contributed to these recurring failures.

Service reliability has also dipped. Operators are cancelling far more schedules than BMTC’s diesel fleet, with electric buses recording three times the cancellation rate. The shortage of support staff is another cause: against the mandated 2.3% staffing per bus, companies are deploying only 1.9-2%, leading to operational gaps.

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Safety concerns are mounting as well. While BMTC’s 5,423 diesel buses have an accident rate of 0.05 per lakh kilometres, the e-bus fleet has a higher rate of 0.07 per lakh kilometres. KSRTC, which operates 47 electric buses through private operators, has reported 477 accidents since January 2023, showing similar patterns across state-run corporations.

The government said these issues have already been raised with the Centre. Following this, the Ministry of Heavy Industries held a review meeting with operators and issued a 45-day deadline for measurable improvements.

To enforce accountability, BMTC has imposed ₹25 crore in penalties on private operators for service lapses, non-compliance and repeated failures.

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