CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Omnibus Owners Association has urged Chief Minister MK Stalin to grant a three-year exemption from road tax for private electric omnibuses and a full toll waiver at State-run toll plazas to accelerate the transition to electric public transport.

The government should also take steps to set up fast-charging facilities across the world if the initiative is to take off, association president A Anbalagan added in a statement on Sunday.

According to him, the current tax waiver for electric buses expires on December 31. Despite growing interest, large-scale deployment of electric omnibuses has not taken off due to production delays and inadequate charging infrastructure, he said.

At present, only a few corporate operators are running electric omnibuses built on imported chassis from China. Orders placed for more than 150 electric omnibuses in July have not yet been fully delivered, Anbalagan said, adding that manufacturers are only now beginning to supply vehicles suitable for long-distance operations.

Except for a fast-charging facility established by the association at Ulundurpet, there is no such infrastructure in most parts of the State, he said, adding that operators are unable to switch to electric fleets without a reliable charging network.

Anbalagan said incentives similar to those offered in Maharashtra would help the private sector shift to clean mobility and complement the State’s green transport goals. He urged the government to expand fast-charging facilities across Tamil Nadu while ensuring tax concessions remain in place until electric operation becomes viable.

Such support, he said, would encourage operators to adopt electric fleets, reduce vehicular pollution, and contribute to the State’s Green Mobility and Net Zero targets.