Switch Mobility, the EV subsidiary of Ashok Leyland, and Chalo, a transport technology company, on Thursday said they have entered into a strategic collaboration for the deployment of 5,000 electric buses across India. An MoU has been signed for an initial period of three years. The buses will be deployed across metros and other cities, which includes the initial deployment of variants of Switch EiV 12.
Mahesh Babu, CEO, Switch Mobility India & COO, Switch Mobility, said: “Given our vision to accelerate the adoption of clean, sustainable electric transportation solutions, we are delighted to partner with Chalo for a first-of-its-kind partnership in this space.”
Under this partnership, Switch and Chalo will jointly invest to deploy electric buses in cities where Chalo is present. Chalo will deploy its consumer technology solutions such as the Chalo App and the Chalo Card, offering conveniences such as live bus tracking, digital tickets, and travel plans and also determine routes, frequency, schedules, and fares. Switch’s responsibilities include the supply and maintenance of the state-of-the-art electric buses.
Also read| Olectra bags Rs 500 crore order to supply 300 e-buses to TSRTC
Babu said: “We aim to transform the urban mobility in the country by leveraging Chalo’s strong customer connect and operational expertise along with our technologically advanced electric vehicle products. This significant partnership of 5,000 electric buses will certainly open up access to affordable, comfortable, hassle-free and environmentally friendly transport solutions, while enhancing the overall customer experience.”
Established in 2014, Chalo is a transport technology firm with operations in 40 cities. The Chalo App provides live tracking of over 15,000 buses.
Also read| Tata Motors bags order for 1,500 e-buses from DTC
Mohit Dubey, co-founder & CEO, Chalo, said: “Buses make up for 48% of India’s daily travel, and yet we have just three buses for 10,000 people. Last year, we finalised a project to add 1,000 new buses in three of our cities. Today, we are glad to partner with Switch on a scale that is 5x larger. The travel experience in these buses will be on a par with global cities like Hong Kong and Singapore. We are confident that this collaboration will propel our collective journey towards building sustainable cities.”
