An MTC official says the CMRL has already identified four places for creating the electric bus infrastructure and tenders would be floated soon for the mini e-buses.
| Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ
Following the success of the electric bus operation in the city, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) is planning to implement first and last mile connectivity to the Metrorail stations.
 MTC has called for a pre-tender meeting with the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of electric buses. The meeting is to be  held on November 3.
A senior official of the MTC said the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) had been seeking to operate small buses for first and last mile connectivity in several localities in the city. The MTC, based on the request from CMRL, has been operating small buses on more than 25 routes to cater to the needs of the  commuters.
 However, the operation of small buses has not been economically viable, officials said.î ˆ
To satisfy the needs of the commuters in the city and following the successful implementation of electric buses under the gross cost contract  model, it has been proposed to explore the viability of operating air conditioned e-buses in more than 200 routes, an MTC official said.
The pre-consultation meeting to be held with OEMs of e-buses is to assess the feasibility of operating 220 (five- and six-metre) AC e-buses for last mile connectivity to Metro stations.
The MTC official said the CMRL has already identified four places for creating the electric bus infrastructure facility in the city.
Soon tenders would be floated for the mini e-buses, the MTC official noted.
Published – October 30, 2025 05:30 am IST
