Bengaluru – A new study by the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) has revealed that heavy commercial vehicles such as trucks and buses, though accounting for only 2 percent of India’s total vehicles, contribute to a staggering 70 percent of vehicular pollution. The report, launched at the India Clean Air Summit (ICAS) 2025 in Bengaluru, warns that ageing “super emitters” will continue to undermine India’s clean air efforts unless scrappage is made mandatory.
The report notes that while the number of heavy commercial vehicles is projected to grow by 27 percent by 2035, emissions per vehicle will reduce with Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) standards. However, the real challenge lies with older trucks and buses that continue to release disproportionately high levels of pollutants.
Super Emitters Threaten India Clean Air Goals
Swagata Dey, lead author of the study, highlighted the urgency: “Our vehicular pollution isn’t coming down if these super emitters continue. No matter how many EVs you bring in, the older ones are still polluting.” She criticised existing policies like the Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernisation Programme (VVMP) for being inadequate in addressing the problem.
The report calls for compulsory scrapping of old trucks, pointing out that nearly 40 percent of trucks on Indian roads are over 15 years old. “They run until they break down, with no maintenance,” Dey said, adding that electric trucks are not a practical solution yet due to poor highway charging infrastructure. Instead, interim solutions such as promoting CNG and shifting freight back to railways are seen as critical.
Scrappage, Rail Shift, and National-Level Action
The CSTEP study also emphasised that piecemeal state-level interventions will not work, since most trucks have interstate permits. A bottom-up emission inventory using 15 years of government registration data, combined with field surveys, confirmed the persistence of highly polluting vehicles across India.
The report also suggests subsidies for small truck owners, who fear mandatory scrappage will threaten their livelihoods. Meanwhile, experts stressed that India’s dependence on diesel-powered trucks will likely persist until at least 2035, making a modal shift of freight from roads back to electrified railways urgent.
“Moving 80 percent of long-distance freight by rail and using trucks only for last-mile connectivity could be a game-changer,” Dey said.