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April 3, 2025
Mumbai's push to electrify its public bus fleet is reshaping more than the vehicles on the road—it's rewriting the job description for thousands of drivers. Under the PM E-DRIVE scheme, the city has received 1,500 new electric buses, bringing the total e-bus count past 2,500. But the transition is moving beyond procurement into a critical phase: operational readiness. Without proper training, the shift could introduce new safety risks rather than curbing pollution.
Unlike diesel buses, electric buses deliver instant torque from a standstill and slow down using regenerative braking, which captures energy and feeds it back to the battery. This changes how drivers accelerate, brake, and anticipate traffic flow. A driver accustomed to a manual transmission and the delayed response of a diesel engine may find the immediate power of an electric motor unsettling—especially in Mumbai's congested streets.
The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking recently launched a safety-focused training program specifically for electric bus drivers. The curriculum covers acceleration modulation, regenerative braking thresholds, and battery health management. Drivers practice on a closed course before going live on routes. “The biggest challenge is unlearning old habits,” said a senior BEST trainer involved in the program. “You can’t just hand someone the keys to an e-bus and expect them to drive it safely.”
The timing is critical. India’s Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme and the newer PM E-DRIVE initiative have injected billions into e-bus deployments. But a 2024 report by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy noted that driver training was the weakest link in several Indian cities’ electrification plans. Mumbai, with its high passenger density and narrow roads, faces uniquely acute risks.
Meanwhile, U.S. transit agencies have been grappling with similar challenges. The Federal Transit Administration’s 2023 report on zero-emission bus deployment found that driver retraining was a top-three need across implementing agencies. Los Angeles Metro, for instance, requires 40 hours of hands-on e-bus training before a driver can operate revenue service. New York City Transit’s e-bus pilot included a “muscle memory” simulator that helps drivers adjust to regenerative braking. By comparing these approaches, Mumbai’s program can borrow best practices.
Adding a layer of complexity, the training itself must be updated as battery technology evolves. Cheaper lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries, now common in Indian e-buses, have different thermal management needs than earlier nickel-cobalt-manganese cells. Drivers must understand warning lights and basic troubleshooting to avoid range anxiety—a factor that can lead to premature battery degradation if the bus is frequently run below 20% charge.
The economic stakes are also high. BEST currently operates about 4,000 buses, with e-buses accounting for a growing share. Each e-bus costs roughly $350,000, making driver errors costly. Improper use of regenerative braking can reduce efficiency by up to 15%, translating to thousands of dollars in lost electricity savings per bus per year. Training, therefore, is not just a safety measure but a financial one.
The program also addresses soft skills. Electric buses are quieter, which can surprise pedestrians who are used to diesel rumble. Drivers are taught to use extra caution in low-speed zones and at pedestrian crossings. Some BEST depots have installed sound-emitting devices at low speeds, similar to the “quiet car” rules in the U.S. requiring electric vehicles to emit a warning sound under 19 mph.
Looking ahead, Mumbai plans to grow its e-bus fleet to 8,000 by 2030 under the city’s climate action plan. That means scaling training from hundreds to thousands of drivers. BEST is exploring partnerships with local technical institutes to create a certification program for e-bus driving. This mirrors efforts in the U.S., where the American Public Transportation Association recently launched a standardized e-bus operator training curriculum.
“The technology is moving faster than the workforce,” said Dr. Meera Joshi, a transport policy researcher at the Urban Mobility Lab in Mumbai. “We need a national framework for e-bus driver training, not just city-level patches.” The PM E-DRIVE program, which mandates that at least 10% of funds be used for training, is a step in that direction. But implementation remains uneven.
In the end, Mumbai’s electrification success will be measured not by the number of buses delivered, but by how safely and efficiently they are operated. And that comes down to skills behind the wheel—skills that are being tested, refined, and redefined every day on the city’s chaotic roads.
