Overview
- Transport Minister Vijay Tamilan Parthiban said on Tuesday that Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has directed the state to purchase only air-conditioned buses for future government acquisitions.
- The announcement follows last week's flagging off of about 300 new state buses bought for Rs 127.21 crore that include 164 diesel and 136 BS‑VI CNG vehicles already deployed from hubs such as Koyambedu and Kilambakkam.
- Officials have not published formal procurement orders, budgets, technical standards or rollout timelines, so the change currently applies to future buys rather than the recently delivered fleet.
- Parthiban said the directive reflects the chief minister's preference after he rode a government bus and his stated aim to connect every remote region of Tamil Nadu with a stronger bus network.
- The shift could raise questions about costs, energy sources for running AC buses and the pace of fleet upgrades, so watch for detailed procurement rules and funding plans from the Transport Department.