At the recently concluded Busworld India Conclave 2026, discussions around electrification, infrastructure readiness, and mobility integration remained at the forefront as industry stakeholders deliberated on the future of India’s bus segment. Among the key industry voices at the conclave was Mr. Prasanna Patwardhan, Chairman and Managing Director, Purple Mobility Solutions Pvt. Ltd., who highlighted the growing operational and infrastructural challenges faced by private bus operators amid the country’s accelerating EV transition.
Speaking on the relevance of the Busworld platform, Mr. Patwardhan emphasized the importance of global exposure for Indian operators, OEMs, and other ecosystem players. According to him, international platforms help the industry stay updated on global technologies, operational practices, and emerging mobility trends.
Infrastructure Concerns
While acknowledging the government’s push towards electrification, Mr. Patwardhan pointed out that private operators continue to face significant hurdles in adopting electric buses. He observed that state transport undertakings are comparatively better positioned due to access to subsidies, government support, and existing infrastructure facilities.
In contrast, private operators continue to struggle with charging infrastructure limitations, parking constraints, and financing challenges. Mr. Patwardhan noted that a majority of bus operators function across multiple cities and routes without dedicated parking spaces, making charging infrastructure deployment a major concern.
He further stated that financing electric buses remains another critical challenge as conventional financial institutions are still hesitant to fund EV acquisitions in the passenger transport segment.
Need For Coordination
Mr. Patwardhan also underlined the lack of a central facilitation body for the bus and mobility sector. Comparing the industry with sectors such as aviation and telecommunications, he observed that while regulatory structures exist in those sectors to guide and support growth, the bus industry continues to function in silos.
According to him, despite frequent discussions around integrated mobility and last-mile connectivity, there is limited coordination among stakeholders at the execution level. He also raised concerns over certain policy implementations and operational bottlenecks, including delays linked to automated testing centers and fitness certification processes.
Concluding his views, Mr. Patwardhan stressed that infrastructure development should remain the industry’s top priority if India aims to achieve sustainable growth in electric mobility across the bus sector.