12 metre-long 100 electric buses to hit Bengaluru roads in August

Bengaluru: After the successful operation of 90 electric mini-buses, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is all set to launch 300 electric buses of 12 meters length.

Ashok Leyland is supplying these buses to BMTC and the drivers are provided by the company itself. But BMTC employees will be the administrators. A prototype of the bus was brought to the BMTC head office on Friday for approval of its design by officials. Hundred buses are likely to hit the roads next month as officials gave their approval to the design. The 40-seat, two-door bus is fitted with CCTV cameras on its four sides.

A BMTC official said that around 300 buses of this type will operate on the city by October.

Battery charging stations will be built by the company for which space has been identified at three BMTC depots and four stations. The responsibility of the management will be handled by the company itself and the rate per km will be fixed and borne by BMTC. He said that the bus is designed to be eco-friendly and disabled-friendly.

The tender process was started in September 2019 to procure 300 electric buses for BMTC on contract basis. As this process was delayed, a tender was invited in February 2020 for procuring 90 electric mini-buses for metro feeder service under Fame India project. JBM company has already contracted and supplied 90 buses which are plying in the city. If 300 buses are added to BMTC, the corporation will have a total of 390 electric buses.

The objections raised by the employees are that since the companies provide the drivers for these buses, the employment of so many people will be gone to a private sector. Under the Grand Challenge scheme, the Central Government has decided to provide electric buses to 9 major cities of the country to promote the concept of e-culture. BMTC management board has agreed to procure 1,500 buses under this scheme. An official explained that the proposal is now before the State government.