Bus travellers rejoice as you could travel on electric buses from Bengaluru to multiple locations like Hoskote and Attibele soon.
Key details: Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has identified 14 bus routes for 300 non-AC electric buses. All buses are expected to be on-road by October. The buses are meant for long-distance routes. A BMTC official said that they have currently received 12 buses from the manufacturer.
- The manufacturer is Switch Mobility Ltd., a subsidiary of Ashok Leyland. The company emerged as the lowest bidder in the 300 e-bus tender under the Centre’s FAME II scheme.
About the buses: The buses have 41 seats each, including the driver’s seat. They can run 150 km on a single charge. After this, short-term charging (opportunity charging) of 45 minutes will allow them to run for another 75 km.
The buses will run from 3 depots — Yelahanka, Bidadi, and Attibele. Opportunity charging stations will be set up in depots at KBS, Kengeri, Yeshwantpur, and Central Silk Board bus stations. These buses are expected to have a lower operational cost as compared to diesel-operated buses.
- Currently, only 90 non-AC e-buses are operating.