DRIVN Bets ₹900 Crore on Intercity EV Mobility, Orders 500 Buses from JBM, 100 from Purple

Commercial EV leasing platform DRIVN plans to finance the acquisition and deployment of 600 electric buses through partnerships with JBM Electric Vehicles and Purple Bus, creating an estimated ₹900-crore project pipeline aimed at accelerating the electrification of India's intercity transport sector.

The programme includes the procurement of 500 electric buses from JBM Electric Vehicles and the deployment of another 100 buses with Purple Bus. Based on an average cost of ₹1.5 crore per bus, the JBM order is estimated to be worth around ₹750 crore, while the Purple Bus fleet is valued at about ₹150 crore.

The overall investment could vary, as Purple Bus is evaluating both 12-metre and 13.5-metre electric buses priced between ₹1.4 crore and ₹1.65 crore, depending on configuration.

"The success of commercial electric mobility depends on bringing together manufacturing, operations, technology and financing," Alpna Jain, Co-founder and Chief Business Officer of DRIVN, told businessline.

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