According to government officials, the cost of the non-AC bus is Rs 51 Lakh — Rs 41 lakh was paid for the same bus earlier— and Rs 62 lakh for the AC bus.

As reported by Newsline earlier, Tata and Ashok Leyland, the sole providers of CNG-fuelled low-floor buses in the country, had hiked their costs by about 40 per cent last year due to inflation.

Officials said following talks between the then Transport Minister Harun Yusuf and the two firms, the government managed to get the price reduced by about 7 per cent per bus.

Transport Commissioner R K Verma could not be reached despite repeated attempts on Saturday. But Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta said, “They (Leyland) have matched the price Tata was offering; and the drivers will be trained at their Burari driving school.”