The 130 buses were flagged off at the Secretariat by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, in the presence of Transport Minister Vijay Tamilan Parthiban, Transport Secretary Nirmal Raj, MTC Managing Director D. Mohan, and officials from OHM Global Mobility.
The deployment marks the next stage of OHM’s electric bus operations in Chennai. In October 2024, OHM secured an order to supply and operate 500 ultra-low-floor electric buses under a 12-year Gross Cost Contract with MTC. The Phase 1 order comprised 400 non-air-conditioned and 100 air-conditioned buses.
Commercial operations under Phase 1 began in June 2025, with the initial batches of low-floor electric buses deployed from the Vyasarpadi depot under the World Bank-backed Chennai City Partnership programme. The company subsequently said its Phase 1 electric buses had crossed 3 crore green kilometres, while its Phase 1 depots achieved more than 99 per cent schedule adherence.
The latest deployment is part of MTC’s Phase 2 programme, under which OHM will supply and operate 500 electric buses manufactured by Switch. The 130 buses launched on Monday are the first batch of this Phase 2 deployment.
The expansion will further increase the presence of electric buses in Chennai’s public transport network.
“The launch of the first 130 buses under Phase 2 marks an important milestone in Chennai’s transition towards sustainable public transportation,” said Brijesh Gubbi Suresh, CEO, OHM Global Mobility.
The company’s experience in Phase 1, including crossing 3 crore green kilometres and achieving more than 99 per cent schedule adherence across its depots, demonstrated that sustainability and operational performance could go together in public transport, he pointed out.
As the Phase 2 fleet expands, OHM said it would continue to leverage its capabilities in electric mobility, fleet operations, maintenance and mobility-as-a-service solutions to support reliable and scalable electric public transport in Chennai.
OHM Global Mobility currently has electric mobility operations in Chennai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Patna, Chandigarh and Mumbai. Its activities span electric bus and truck deployment, charging infrastructure, fleet operations and maintenance, and mobility-as-a-service solutions, a release said.