OHM Global Mobility, Ashok Leyland's e-mobility arm, deploys 130 Switch-built electric buses in Chennai under MTC's Phase 2 EV bus programme.
Key points
- OHM Deploys 130 Electric Buses In Chennai
- How Phase 1 Performed In Chennai
- What Phase 2 Rollout Involves
- OHM's Role Beyond Just Supplying Buses
- OHM's Presence Across Other Cities
Chennai's public transport network just got 130 new air-conditioned electric buses on its roads. OHM Global Mobility, the e-mobility arm of Ashok Leyland, flagged off the buses under Phase 2 of MTC's electric bus programme, with hundreds more expected to follow as part of a larger rollout across the city.
OHM Deploys 130 Electric Buses In Chennai
Table of Contents
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1. OHM Deploys 130 Electric Buses In Chennai |
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2. How Phase 1 Performed In Chennai |
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3. What Phase 2 Rollout Involves |
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4. OHM's Role Beyond Just Supplying Buses |
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5. OHM's Presence Across Other Cities |
The buses were flagged off at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat, with Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, Transport Minister Vijay Tamilan Parthiban, and MTC Managing Director D. Mohan among those present at the launch. These are the first batch of a planned 500 e-buses that OHM will supply and operate for MTC under this phase.
The buses themselves are manufactured by Switch, the electric vehicle subsidiary of Ashok Leyland, which has been steadily building out its electric bus manufacturing footprint over the past couple of years.
How Phase 1 Performed In Chennai
This Phase 2 rollout doesn't come out of nowhere — it builds directly on OHM's earlier Phase 1 operations in the city. According to the company, its Phase 1 electric buses have already covered more than 3 crore km on Chennai's roads, a genuinely significant operational track record for an electric fleet.
Perhaps more telling is the reliability figure — OHM said its Phase 1 depots recorded schedule adherence of more than 99%, which is the kind of number that public transport operators actually care about far more than headline range or battery specs.
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What Phase 2 Rollout Involves
Under Phase 2, OHM will progressively deploy the remaining buses across Chennai over time, rather than all at once. The company will also handle fleet operations and maintenance as part of the programme, meaning its role extends well beyond simply supplying vehicles and walking away.
This kind of full-service model, where the manufacturer's e-mobility arm also runs day-to-day operations, has become increasingly common in India's electric bus rollouts, and it's part of a broader push that's included initiatives like the government's vehicle replacement scheme that Ashok Leyland and Switch Mobility joined earlier this year.
OHM's Role Beyond Just Supplying Buses
Brijesh Gubbi Suresh, CEO of OHM Global Mobility, called the launch of these first 130 buses an important milestone in Chennai's shift toward sustainable public transportation, pointing to the company's Phase 1 track record as proof that electric mobility and operational reliability aren't mutually exclusive.
OHM has positioned itself around a broader set of capabilities than just vehicle supply, covering electric mobility, fleet operations, maintenance and Mobility-as-a-Service solutions, which lines up with the kind of manufacturing expansion Ashok Leyland has been pursuing through moves like its new Lucknow plant for electric buses.
OHM's Presence Across Other Cities
Chennai isn't the only city where OHM is active. The company's electric bus and truck deployment, along with its charging infrastructure and fleet services, currently spans Bengaluru, Delhi, Patna, Chandigarh and Mumbai as well, giving it a genuinely national footprint rather than a single-city pilot operation.
Readers curious about how this fits into Ashok Leyland's broader electric ambitions can also look at how the company is scaling its electric bus and truck plans beyond just this Chennai deployment. Buyers wanting a wider view of what's currently on offer can also browse this list of top electric buses in India for context on where the segment stands today.
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Frequently Asked Questions On Commercial Vehicles
Q1. Who manufactures the electric buses deployed by OHM Global Mobility in Chennai?
Ans: The buses are manufactured by Switch, the electric vehicle subsidiary of Ashok Leyland, and operated by OHM Global Mobility under MTC's Phase 2 programme.
Q2. How many electric buses is OHM planning to deploy under Phase 2?
Ans: OHM is planning to supply and operate 500 electric buses under Phase 2, with the first batch of 130 buses already flagged off in Chennai.
Q3. What was OHM's schedule adherence performance during Phase 1 in Chennai?
Ans: OHM reported schedule adherence of more than 99% across its Phase 1 depots in Chennai, alongside covering over 3 crore km with its electric bus fleet.
Q4. In which other Indian cities does OHM Global Mobility operate?
Ans: Beyond Chennai, OHM Global Mobility's operations span Bengaluru, Delhi, Patna, Chandigarh and Mumbai, covering electric bus and truck deployment along with fleet services.