For the first time, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will operate AC electric buses on intercity routes.
Story so far: Under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) initiative of the Union government, the corporation will operate 50 of these AC buses. For ten years, a private operator will run the buses as part of a gross cost contract (GCC). The KSRTC will compensate the private operator for its operational costs to the tune of ₹55 per kilometre.
- The inter-city AC buses will be operated from Bengaluru to Mysuru, Madikeri, Virajpet, Chikkamagaluru, Davangere and Shivamogga.
- The buses will be produced by an electric bus manufacturer in Hyderabad.
Charging stations: Charging infrastructure will be set up at a number of places, including Majestic and depots in the cities where these buses will operate, to make managing them easier.
Other details: The electric buses have a maximum range of 250 kilometres per charge. The daily operating distance is guaranteed to be 450 kilometres. For use by the e-buses, the company has picked popular routes that are within 250 kilometres.