Several disability rights organisations and activists have flagged concerns about the violation of various mandates in the centralised tendering for procurement of 5585 electric buses. Coming together under the rubric of Freedom of Movement Coalition, they have objected to the non-compliance with bus standards and procurement norms in the tendering for 5450 electric buses and 135 Double Decker electric buses by the Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL).

The FMC feels that the tendering process is in violation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, the Harmonised Guidelines on Accessibility and also Supreme Court judgements.

The Coalition in a letter addressed to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer CESL, Mahua Acharya, pointed out that at least 1850 out of the 5585 city buses being tendered are high-floor buses and are therefore not in compliance with the existing Bus Standards and provisions of the RPWD Act 2016. Even in the case of the 3600 low floor buses and 135 double decker buses, mandatory accessibility requirements (especially for wheelchair users) have either not been specified or indicated as ‘not required’.

This tendering comes at a time when according to the central government’s own data only around 7% of public buses in the country are fully accessible, notwithstanding the targets set by the Accessible India campaign.

Objecting to the flouting of these mandates, the Coalition has urged the CESL to issue a corrigendum to the tender addressing all deviations and requiring all buses to be low floor buses, for ease of use by the disabled and the elderly.

THE FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT COALITION is a pan-Indian group advocating for equity in transport.