Uttar Pradesh approves 1,725 electric buses for 18 cities under GCC model

This opportunity is a news report, not a published tender. ETAuto reported on 10 October 2026 that the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has approved the operation of 1,725 air-conditioned electric buses in 18 cities under the gross cost contract (GCC) model. The aim is to expand urban public transport, attract private investment, improve operating efficiency and service quality, and support local manufacturing and jobs. The article does not name the contracting authority, and no tender notice, tender documents or lot structure have been published yet.

Lucknow and Kanpur would receive 300 buses each, Varanasi 250 and Gorakhpur 150. Agra, Ghaziabad and Meerut would receive 100 each, and the rest would go to 11 other cities. The 18 cities are Agra, Aligarh, Ayodhya, Bareilly, Firozabad, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mathura-Vrindavan, Meerut, Moradabad, Prayagraj, Shahjahanpur, Saharanpur, Varanasi and Noida, including Jewar. The fleet will mix 9-metre and 12-metre buses.

Private operators would be contracted for 12 years from the start of commercial operations. They would: procure the buses; arrange chargers and charging infrastructure at designated stations; deploy drivers and technical staff; manage operations and maintenance.

Payments would be linked to prescribed performance standards, and the government would set passenger fares. The scheme provides subsidies of INR 40 lakh per 12-metre bus and INR 35 lakh per 9-metre bus. Municipal corporations and the Noida Authority would provide land for depots where needed. The state proposes to give preference to electric buses manufactured in Uttar Pradesh at the lowest qualifying bid price (L-1 rate), in line with the Transport Department's procurement policy.

The sources give no estimated contract value, procedure type, submission deadline, Q&A deadline, start date or submission portal. Urban Development Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma said operations would begin soon but gave no rollout date. Eligibility, technical and award requirements will only be known once the tender or tenders are published.