Over the next few months, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is planning to induct around 2,300 buses; however, they are unlikely to meet the 2025 target.
Story so far: Ashok Leyland’s subsidiary Switch Mobility Ltd will provide 300 non-AC e-buses while Tata Motors will contribute 921 non-AC e-buses under Convergence Energy Services Ltd’s Grand Challenge Plan. Apart from this, BMTC is planning to buy 238 diesel buses and 840 diesel or electric buses with the help of state government funds.
- The e-buses are being inducted under the gross cost contract (GCC) under the Bengaluru Smart City scheme. The lease model dictates that BMTC will pay private firms on a per-km basis.
- The firms will provide a driver in addition to taking care of the fleet’s maintenance while BMTC will deploy conductors, with the fare being the same as current diesel non-AC buses.
No increase in size: Although the Comprehensive Mobility Plan aimed to increase BMTC’s fleet size to 13,000 by 2025, the corporation is currently operating with 6,800 buses with plans for scraping 989 aged ones. This means that BMTC is unlikely to meet its 2025 target as there will be no increase in the fleet.
- Nonetheless, the addition of the new fleet will increase the count to 7,000 which will prove to be a relief for passengers during peak hours.